It isn’t at all uncommon for older adults and their caregivers to feel like all they do is leave the house for doctor visits and medical appointments. Not only can this be emotionally draining, it is also physically demanding for both parties. Fortunately, more businesses are recognizing the benefits of providing wellness care to people within their homes.
If one’s mobility is limited or an individual is in pain due to an injury, having to get out of the house, across town, and into a physical therapy office seems like a PT workout unto itself. Multiply this gauntlet by the several times a week that PT must be done to work most effectively, and it can feel overwhelming. People may not stick with the routine because it is cumbersome.
Jana Killifer, owner of Kentuckiana Mobile Therapy, has decades of PT experience in various settings and was cognizant of the challenges PT patients and their caregivers often experience just making it to their appointments. By creating a company that brings physical therapists to clients’ homes, she saw the possibility for other improvements to the PT experience.
One of the improvements her company offers is one-on-one care for a solid hour from the same therapist each visit. “Usually what a lot of people complain about related to home health is that they have different people coming each time,” she says. Because the same therapist visits a client’s home, the relationship that develops actually helps the PT process. Clients often work harder and longer because of the relationship; “they want me to be proud of them,” Killifer says, and this is less likely to happen when different therapists come from week to week.
Plus, due to insurance and its associated paperwork, clients often feel like their care is secondary to filling out forms and ticking boxes on a computer. Kentuckiana Mobile Therapy, because it is cash-based, allows therapists to focus the entire 60 minutes on that one client’s movement and range of motion, unlike an office setting in which therapists have to rotate among several clients at the same time.
There is also a certain level of comfort and relaxation that clients feel in their own homes and, perhaps, a willingness to do things they would feel uncomfortable doing in public. Killifer says she always has clients do exercises on the floor for the essential practice of getting up and down. It isn’t always pretty so a PT patient might feel embarrassed to do this in a public office setting or worry about dirtying their clothing.
Bruce Miller, owner of Body & Soul Highlands, says in-home fitness training is more expensive than if someone comes to the studio, but many people are willing to pay this cost because of the comfort and ease in training. “They aren’t worried about anyone looking at them,” he says. We often think of money as the only cost, but time is valuable, too, and something to be considered when determining the overall costs of bringing a mobile service to the home. If an 80+ individual struggles with mobility or a 60-something client is working full-time and travels a lot, the time savings of an in-home trainer once a week may balance everything out.
A perfect complement to physical therapy and/or exercise is massage, and this too can be brought to one’s home. Carrie Graef, owner of River City Therapeutic Massage, like Miller, acknowledges that in-home massage is more expensive than a client coming to the studio, but it offers a level of versatility that the studio may not provide. For example, an older adult might struggle to get themselves on a massage table in a studio, but a massage therapist could give the client a massage in the comfort of their own chair at home, especially if it can recline.
The after-effects of in-home massage last longer, too. If you’ve ever had a massage in a studio, it feels wonderful but you then have to leave, get back in your vehicle, and feel the stress of traffic. Graef says an in-home massage means a client is already in their comfortable space and can really luxuriate in post-massage calm.
Massage works on soft tissue, and Carrie says people don’t realize how much of their physical limitations are impacted by the stiffening of soft tissue: “Massage can help mobilize stuck and scarred tissue to get people back to functionality faster,” she says.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of in-home massage is the act of touch in itself. “Touch is so important to our mental health, and many older adults are touch-deprived, especially those who are homebound,” she says. In-home services for these individuals give them something to look forward to. “It is devoted time focused on them that isn’t a doctor visit,” she adds. In-home massage can be a salve for loneliness.
Resources:
While the Internet can be a source of confusion, there are some trusted sources that can provide older adults and their caregivers with free wellness tips and tricks inside the home.
The National Institute on Aging YouTube channel has loads of information that is relevant to older adults and their caregivers. A quick search for “physical therapy” will bring up all kinds of short videos in which older adults demonstrate various exercises that can improve balance and flexibility, such as a heel-to-toe walk and an inner-thigh stretch.
The University of Kentucky Integrative Health & Medicine Program offers a virtual chair yoga class that can be accessed easily at their website.
By Carrie Vittitoe
P.S. Check out one of Bob Mueller’s articles here.
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