I find it difficult to put a title to a certain age, we are told that Senior, Geriatric, OAP, Elderly, Golden Oldie, Retiree are all acceptable!
Personally I don’t see my parents, in-laws, friends and clients as anything other than the person they are, age is but a number.
This is perhaps the reality maybe of growing up with an older mother, who these days we call having had a “geriatric pregnancy” at the age of 39.
I have never thought of “older” age as anything scary or something to dread, however I now know as a menopausal lady in her mid fifties that things do change and sometimes drastically, our bodies change, an ache that used to disappear after a while, it’s there, it’s now always there!!
Our brains and bodies do change too, and we feel different at each decade I guess, we do need to try to adjust accordingly and I think from a Holistic view we need to take everything into consideration and introduce much more self love and self care into our lives – whatever our age – the mindest is important!
For your interest, and the purpose of these posts I will be looking realistically at how bodies are termed in age, as this has much to do with general health and wellbeing, lifestyle and movement.
60+ is about ageing gracefully or disgracefully if you prefer! I must say at this point I know many people in their 70s, 80s and those in their 90s, that are incredibly fit and well too but for the sake of this article – I will include those young at heart 60 year olds as well – we will call it prep for the next decade/s to follow!
Not only is age a number, it is also becoming a different person maybe? After all the older we are the more we have to offer the younger generation and acknowedgling we are changing is important, inevitably parts of our bodies change slowly or sometimes somewhat drastically as we age, which is why I am sharing this article, to encourage “self care” at sixty and over because as we know, everything is relative in life, and aging is no different but we can make lifestyle changes and additions to our lives to help the ageing process be less uncomfortable. Hopefully reading this will maybe motivate you or someone you love to embrace the Love of Wellbeing Massage Therapy….
Benefits of Massage for Older Adults
Massage therapy has numerous advantages for people aged 60 and up, including the reduction of pain, tension, and headaches, as well as the treatment of cancer and mental health conditions.
As we get older, our bodies can begin to slow down as we experience pain and stiffness. Arthritis, back discomfort, joint pain, muscle stiffness, ligament injury, inflammation, and lack of movement are all common problems among older people.
Massage is known to soften hard muscles and tissues – As we age, we generally become less active and so our muscles harden and get tighter.
Massage helps to soften muscles and tissues by increasing blood flow to the areas and ultimately reducing overall muscle tension.
However, massage is more than relaxation and hardening of muscles, it has many other benefits that help health and wellbeing in general:
- Helps in stroke recovery
Seniors are encouraged to get up and move again after a stroke. Massage therapy can help with this since it stimulates damaged areas and focuses on anything that may be immobilized. - Enhances Immunity
Massage therapy helps improve your immune system and cleanse toxins out of your body, improving blood flow. People who receive massages are found to be significantly less sick than people who don’t.
Massage boosts the activity of white blood cells, which aid in disease-fighting and may aid in decreasing cortisol, a stress hormone. - Helps with mental health
Massage has been demonstrated to reduce the harmful buildup of cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone”, enabling the body to rest and rejuvenate. - Improves balance and gait
As the bones weaken with age, falling is constantly listed as among the biggest worries for seniors. Massage improves proprioception, or the sensation of the relative position of body parts, by increasing blood flow to the limbs, which improves balance and reduces the risk of falling. - Improves sleep
Massage provides soothing benefits that reach far beyond the massage table. Those of my clients who profit from a weekly massage often say they sleep deeper and for longer periods of time. Waking naturally to feeling restored and rejuvanated, this is a result of giving the body more time to mend itself, and the general feeling of health improves. - Increase flexibility
Our joints and muscles contract as we age, limiting our range of motion and increasing our risk of injury. It’s critical to assist our aged muscles in relaxing as a result of inactivity.
Massage therapy loosens stiff muscles and joints, allowing for a great deal of flexibility in daily tasks. - Increases blood flow
The most essential advantage for elders is improved circulation. Massage therapy greatly aids the flow of blood into the limbs. Massage treatment improves blood circulation in the body through kneading, soft stroking, and the application of moderate pressure to various regions of the body. - Relieves arthritic pain
Massage will never cure osteoarthritis, but it can help ease the burning sensations. For those suffering from arthritis, focusing on enhanced blood circulation to the joints and warming the affected areas has been shown to help with pain alleviation. Over the course of a few months, seniors who received massage as part of their osteoarthritis treatment have been observed to experience decreased pain and stiffness and increased physical function. - Soothes dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Slow-stroke back massage has been demonstrated to benefit Alzheimer’s patients with straying, fidgeting, and resisting behaviours. Massage and touch have been proposed as a nonpharmacological alternative to existing treatments for anxiety, agitated behaviour, and sadness in dementia patients. Massage and touch have also been suggested as ways to combat cognitive deterioration. - Stimulates the nervous system
Massage treatment releases endorphins, hormones, and neurotransmitters that help the nervous system work properly. That assertion has been repeatedly backed by research, which shows how therapeutic massage helps release chemicals that have huge advantages on the body, such as serotonin and dopamine, the happy hormone.
This is why it’s so important to take the extra time out of your schedule to do something for your wellness.
By starting a massage therapy regimen, you’re reducing the effects of aging through decreased stress, improved sleep, and improved circulation and relaxation.
In addition to the serotonin-melatonin connection, massage also stimulates the vagus nerve which is the major parasympathetic nerve in the body. When your parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of your body functions, this part of your nervous system regulates the work of your organs and glands while you’re at rest. Your relaxation response kicks in when you feel safe. It can actually block effects from your body’s response to stress. These changes are good for your mental and physical health.You can read here about what happens to our bodies when we Relax.
Whether your goal is to keep the physical abilities you have or to feel better and even improve, you’ve got solid reasons to schedule massage treatment on a regular basis. Not only does massage have medicinal value, it’s also a way to treat yourself well, and there is nothing wrong with that! I hope that this helps in many ways, because ageing is changing and I hope that you see how Massage can bring many good changes to your wellbeing over time.
I have also written a read along with this article that introduces the Carrier Oils that are used in the Treatment Room for mature and delicate skin. The Skin We are In will also cover other age groups, and help bring to light the wonderful benefits of these oils that I love!
