I've been a caretaker of an elderly woman with dementia for over two years. I've seen the effects of this mental affliction, and how devastating it can be to loved ones. This is why I am a firm believer in seeking a professional diagnosis, so the patient may receive necessary care and treatment. Once diagnosed at the onset of symptoms, a plan can be devised. Through social interaction and daily care, my charge has achieved a higher quality of life. If your loved one has been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, you can make a difference. Love will find a way.
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Dementia and Your Loved One
Kinds Of Aquatic Therapy And What Each Provides
Vickie Armstrong
Water is a very soothing element to humans. It stems from floating around in the amniotic fluid prior to birth, when you felt most safe, most supported, and most soothed. There is always an inherent desire to return to that prenatal environment and to feel that warmth and weightless sensation enveloping you. Hence, doctors have begun to recognize that aquatic therapy services are an excellent way to address a number of physical, emotional, and psychological issues. The following is just the short list of aquatic therapies that can help with what ails you.
Sensory Deprivation Tanks
People live in a modern world where sensory overload is a daily occurrence. As such, you may feel constantly anxious, overwhelmed, stressed, and stuck in a position where you cannot seem to unwind and move forward. Your physical health may be affected, too. You may have headaches and/or migraines, body aches, pain, and gastrointestinal issues.
A few dips/sessions in a sensory deprivation tank, and your health improves. These tanks allow you to enclose yourself in a warm, dark, watery pool with no sound, no light, no smells, and only the sensation of touch. As you learn to clear your mind of everything that bothers you, the sensory vacuum of the tank takes care of the sensory overload you have experienced for too long. You leave the tank feeling much calmer, less stressed, more at ease, and able to think clearly. Your body, because it spent thirty minutes floating in a nebulous recreation of your mother's womb, is now lacking the pain and discomfort it did before.
Aquatic Exercise
Aquatic stretching and cardio workouts are available in almost every gym. This type of therapy provides the sense of weightlessness that makes it easier to do exercise. There is not nearly the same amount of gravitational force pushing down on you as there is when you exercise on land. Ergo, you are able to gain greater range of motion in the water and achieve greater levels of endurance and strength. Additionally, the water is very soothing to the body and to fatigued muscles, something which people with chronic and acute muscle disorders truly appreciate.
Spa/Whirlpools
Physical therapists have started using spa tubs and whirlpools to help patients loosen up their tight muscles. Once out of the tub, the therapists help patients move through their assigned range of motion exercise plans. If they feel any stress or pain after the patients have completed their exercises, they are invited to reenter the spa/whirlpool to loosen up again until they can move freely enough to dry off, dress, and go home.
To learn more, reach out to an aquatic therapy service in your area today.
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