In today’s life it is increasingly important to take care of ourselves, especially from a psychophysical point of view. This aspect proves to be even more important when our body begins to age and needs, in addition to a healthy life from the food point of view, also a daily maintenance of muscle elasticity and a conservation of the physiological mobility of the joints.

Massage for the elderly, psychological results
After 65 years, combining an active lifestyle and functional gymnastics with massages is very important for maintaining proper psychophysical activity.

For example, great importance has been found of massage, understood from the point of view of communication and empathy that is always formed between the masseur and the recipient, for the elderly guests of nursing or rest homes where contact with these people it showed a high improvement in both their physical and humoral and motivational parameters.

Simply taking care of them made them feel considered by society and consequently useful and protected .

The benefits and methods of treatment for the elderly
Massages play an extremely therapeutic role

Properly performed, in fact, they are able to prevent and assist the treatment of many pathologies, but also to increase muscle elasticity, to facilitate joint movements, to alleviate musculoskeletal pain and thus to counteract the evolution of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. They are particularly useful also in case of varicose veins and water retention.

During the course of the treatment it will be of fundamental importance:

Use creams or oils in order to minimize the friction between the hand of the masseur and the skin of the person being treated;
Avoid excessive pressure and rubbing and the masseur must limit himself to practicing slow and delicate manual skills;

Before starting the massage, it will be very important to make sure that the elderly do not suffer from pathologies or problems that do not recommend taking certain positions, such as lateral decubitus, or contact with some substances that may be contained in creams or oils used for massages;

Massages for the third and fourth age must always be slow and continuous . All the manual skills proposed by the massage therapist must include the use of an open and soft hand in order to exert slight pressure on the points that reactivate the blood and lymphatic circulation;

The person to be treated must be positioned on the bed in a comfortable position . It will also be appropriate to discover only the parts of the body to be treated, leaving the others temporarily covered so that the person does not perceive a feeling of cold . The first parts to start massaging will be the hands and feet and, only later, the most central parts of the body.

Hand massage is highly appreciated especially by the elderly bedridden with dementia and the terminally ill because it is very simple and not very invasive. It also gives relief to hands that often suffer from arthritis and, above all, transmits warmth, closeness and affection.