CAREGIVER SUPPORT

CAREGIVER SUPPORT: A Good Kind of Pressure

When the right touch is the right stuff

By:Eric Feil

Massage is becoming an increasingly popular approach to wellness for patients with diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as well as stroke victims and people confined to wheelchairs. “As people live longer, and live with more health challenges,” says Sharon Puszko, PhD, CMT, owner and director of the Day-Break Geriatric Massage Institute in Indianapolis, “geriatric massage is becoming an increasingly important area.”

This isn’t your everyday shoulder rub. Therapists should be trained in specialized techniques to ensure their knowledge of how to handle age-affected skin and muscle. “It’s not just light-touch Swedish massage,” notes Dr. Puszko. “There are specific modalities for wheelchair patients and those with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. For people with diabetes, it’s wonderful for circulation in
the feet and legs. It can help bedridden patients avoid pressure sores. There are many advantages.”

For Alzheimer’s patients, “the brain may not be working as well as it had, but the skin and muscles are often still alive and well,” she says. “Massage can aid in circulation and release endorphins. You can see their faces light up and color fill their cheeks. There have been cases where patients who haven’t spoken in ages all of a sudden will say, ‘That feels good.’ It’s incredible.”

Consult a doctor before starting massage therapy. Make sure one’s skin, muscles and bones are ready for physical manipulation, and that altering circulation won’t adversely impact medication flow. “A half-hour is the most you want to do,” advises Dr. Puszko. “More than that can release too many toxins into the body.”

Dr. Puszko stresses the psychological boons of massage. It not only offers the “physical contact many people—particularly seniors—lack,” she says, but it also establishes a time for patients to be with someone who will be attentive. “Having someone to gently hold their hand and listen to their concerns, problems and interests can work wonders.”