Healthcare providers around the world who care for older adults face some of the same concerns. One is rising costs due to aging adults who are not as healthy as they expected to be. Warm water therapy pools are ideal for helping seniors manage health conditions and stay fit. Pools are safe for exercise, rehabilitation, and well-being. In addition, anyone can use them at any age and at any ability level.
For older adults, mobility is particularly important in postoperative care and for overall health and well-being. When seniors are less mobile, they experience loss of muscle mass, strength, and long hospital stays. In addition, as individuals age they are more prone to falls, and falling can send older adults into a downward spiral. Fearful and cautious, they become afraid to move. Subsequently, there is a decline in daily living, social participation and independence that significantly impacts their quality of life.
According to a study in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society: Of hospitalized older adults, 17% experience functional decline during hospitalization, and 18% experience such declines before hospitalization. Data indicates previously ambulatory hospitalized older adults spend 13% of their hospital stay sitting, 4% standing or walking, and 83% in bed. This occurs even though fewer than 5% of these individuals have physician ordered bed rest.
Health care providers who use warm water therapy pools to manage health conditions and work on fall prevention to keep seniors active can significantly help this population maintain health and well-being.
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Benefits of warm water therapy pools
For clients:
Warm water therapy pools create a safe and effective therapy environment.
Warm water decreases stress on joints and relieves pain.
Warm water promotes relaxation, improves flexibility, reduces swelling.
Warm water helps increase range of motion.
The safe environment instills confidence to continue exercising.
Work on fall prevention without the risk and fear of falling.
Master everyday tasks, i.e. going up and down stairs.
If the pool has an adjustable current, there are even more benefits:
- Work on balance. Clients must stabilize themselves against the water flow. This engages their muscles and improves core strength in a fall-free environment.
- Walking into and out of the current further improves strength.
- As the current increases from one session to the next, clients see their success and are motivated to continue.
For facilities:
Create a high level of patient satisfaction.
Treat multiple populations with one modality.
Create a competitive advantage with this innovative alternative therapy.
Allows ability to offer full range of integrated therapies.
Effective with clients of any ability level and/or disability.
Exercises can be offered earlier than land-based treatments for more efficient recovery times.
Safe rehabilitation environment diminishes possibilities of re-injury during rehab.
Satisfied patients with better outcomes means a large group of clients and a stronger referral base.
If it is a warm water therapy pool with an adjustable current:
- Therapists can accurately measure outcomes for reimbursement.
- Compared to a full-sized pool, there is more versatility and lower operating costs within a smaller footprint.
- Achieve a higher ROI than a full-sized pool. Find out for yourself with this simple ROI calculator:
~ Authored by Liz Lecomte
Grow a network of satisfied clients, achieve positive patient outcomes, and increase revenue with warm water therapy pools. Download this free guide to learn more:
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For Senior Living
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