Geriatric Certified therapists (GC) are at the forefront of keeping the country’s aging population healthy and moving. As we age, there are many striking changes that occur related to how our bodies work. These range from more obvious things like decreased strength, flexibility, and balance to the less obvious, like mental alertness and memory loss. These changes occur due to the many physiological changes that are happening at the cellular level. The result is that older people react differently to exercise and injury. Thus, it is vital that a care plan for preventing or managing an injury must have a deep understanding of the changes seniors are going through so that the program can work with the body to get the best results. GC’s have an in-depth understanding of muscle, brain, and heart systems and the cognitive changes that need to be managed as part of the aging process. Our specialists stay up-to-date on the latest “evidence-based” research protocols so that our patients can receive the most effective treatments.

What to expect on your first visit

A thorough evaluation is performed to identify any medical issues along with a musculoskeletal evaluation of strength and mobility. Also, an important part of a geriatric evaluation is to assess gait, balance, and safety with activities of daily living to identify areas of risk, primarily for falls.

What will therapy look like after that?

A program will be devised to address all of the areas of concern and may include stretching and strengthening exercises, a balance and gait correction program, plus recommendations for assistive devices and household adaptation for safety concerns and fall prevention.

What happens after I have been discharged?

GSs promote successful aging by providing information on wellness, impairment, disease, disability, and health risks related to age, gender, culture, lifestyle, and community programs like SAIL.

A Geriatric Specialist can help elderly patients achieve or maintain high levels of physical health as they age by focusing on ailments such as:

• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Decreased Mobility
• Independent Living Challenges
• Fall Risk

If you think that seeing a geriatric specialist might be an option for you, we’d love to have you come in to see if we can help.