Seniors do have special concerns that a clinic needs to respond to for the senior to benefit to their fullest. I remember 20 years ago workings at Frederick Memorial Hospital, when there still weren’t any separate off campus rehab clinics and we serviced the outpatient clients in house.
I remember working with folks with dementia for about a 20-30 minute session hands on, then give them things to work on, usually with exercises written with pictures to follow along with while I moved to the next client. I would periodically come back and check on them and I could still visually see them while working with another client.
What I noticed over and over again, unless they had a caregiver to guide them through the practice or had an assistant work directly with them, they were distracted, didn’t really do what I wanted them to do, and eventually just stopped and watched all the activities in the clinic. They were a “kid in a candy store” with too much to see. If they were in later stages of dementia, then they usually picked at something in their immediate surroundings…a piece of lint a or spot on the treatment table…anything close in distracted them. They weren’t getting their monies worth. Clearly not ideal!
So, what’s a better set up? These folks need one on one therapy with an environment that is low on distractions. Home may be an ideal place to treat them or a clinic that isn’t noisy and has a lot going on so they can focus on what they are needing to accomplish.
REMEMBER, that is why we set up our clinic the way we did at Edenton Retirement Center off Crestwood Blvd. So, if this type of set up is ideal for your client, give us a call! Amy Clouser, PT is waiting to see your client and give senior oriented one on one care in a low distracting environment.
