Touch Therapy is needed now! By Mary Ellen Dorrity NCTMB, LMT

by Mary Ellen Dorrity NCTMB N.M.LMT
(Albuquerque NM, USA)

As we get older and our families grow and change so do we. We leave our parents, we move away. We see them but do we touch them? Something simple as a massage actually will improve their immunity to illness. My mom at age 85 received her first massage and wondered why she waited so long. It actually helped her with her pain in her joints. Mom had a multiple list of illnesses including a history of high blood pressure, osteo-arthritis, and a bladder problem just to name a few. She too had a fear of undressing in front of strangers so I stayed with her and watched with her permission. This was all she needed to experience her 1st massage and loved it. I am forever grateful to my mom who has since pasted away. This gave me more time with her. She was so impressed she tried acupuncture for her pain issues next, and starting to feel relief this too. We searched to find someone who would work with her because she was on a fixed income and she was surprised to see there are many therapists out there. Massage has its benefits too. After this experienced with my mom, I went to school got a degree in massage. I was a nurse for 25 years and quit. I have found more pleasure helping people through touch therapy since. I still use my nursing skills in my practice but my passion is touch. Here are the benefits that I believed help my mom live a little longer.
Geriatric Massage and its benefits
Geriatric massage is a form of massage designed to meet the specific needs of the aging population. . Active or passive movement of the joints may also be part of geriatric massage. The difference is the amount of pressure used. People with illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure or just poor tissue quality are highly sensitive to pressure and this type of treatment works well for them, and still specific to their needs, while still performing the benefits to their body.
Massage therapy doesn’t have to mean you take all your clothes off either. There are many techniques used by where the person is fully clothed.
Geriatric massage offers the following benefits:
• Increase in blood circulation, thus preventing such complications of diabetes as leg ulcers or gangrene.
• Improvement in lymphatic flow, which increases the excretion of toxic substances from the body.
• Alleviation of headache and pain.
• Speeding up of healing from injury and illness.
• Partial restoration of mobility lost due to Parkinson's disease or arthritis.
• Mental and physical relaxation.
• Improvement in length and quality of sleep.
• Relief of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
• Improvement of the patient's quality of life and self-esteem