Geriatric Physical Therapy is a branch of rehabilitation dealing with elder health care. It involves alleviative or remedial, preventive or social aspects of the elderly disabled and disadvantaged people.
Geriatrics is the branch of medicine dealing especially with the problems of ageing and disease of the elderly. With the advancement of science and medical technology the general health of population has improved leading to an increase in elderly population. People are classed as elderly on reaching upto the age of 60 years but in 21st century medical, economic, social factors and high standards of living have increased the life expectancy upto 75 years. Prevention of disease and disability in the elderly is of paramount importance to improve their quality of life. Elderly are lonely and often entirely dependent on their children and relatives.
The majority of elderly are weak, frail and disabled including those with severe functional impairment requires special care and depends to a greater extent on the rehabilitation team therefore a special branch of geriatric physiotherapy has been introduced which particularly works for the rehabilitation of the elderly.
Epidemiological , experimental and interventional studies have proved that age related physiologic alterations occur at variable intensity in different organ systems.
Orthopaedics related diseases:
Apart from dealing with these diseases of the elderly, physical therapist should look upon other age related problems like upliftment of general health of the elderly and induce fitness.
Elder health care problems other than these systemic diseases are:
Old Aged handicaps:
In elderly people, inactivity creates variety of problems:
Which leads to inability to do various self care activities and activities of daily living and thus makes the elderly dependent on others for the fulfillment of his/her needs. This incapability requires rehabilitation such that by learning certain physiotherapy skills patient may improve his capability to some extent.
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