Most people think of physical therapy as something you do after an injury or surgery, but the truth is that physical therapy can be useful at almost any point in life. It’s especially important for the elderly because it can help build muscle, restore natural movement, and keep seniors more independent for longer.
Accessing physical therapy services for the elderly can make a huge difference in your quality of life, independence, and whether you’re able to continue the hobbies and activities you love.
Ready to learn more about physical therapy for the elderly?
What Is The Goal Of Physical Therapy?
There are a lot of potential goals for physical therapy depending on your specific needs. You might have more than one goal, more than one area of the body that needs help from a physical therapist. A good therapist will customize your routine to match your unique needs and lifestyle.
Here are some of the most common goals for physical therapy, especially for the elderly:
● restore functionality
● reduce pain
● increased mobility
● improve balance
● strengthen muscles and joints
Each of those goals can be focused on a specific joint or injury, or they might be all over goals for your whole body. Your physical therapy sessions and home exercises will be slightly different depending on your goals, where you’re starting from, and how many sessions you have available.
Why Is Physical Therapy Important For Seniors?
Physical therapy is particularly important for Seniors for a few reasons. For one thing, once you’re a senior your body’s ability to adjust and recover isn’t what it used to be, and you’ll likely need a little more help to recover from accidents and injury.
But even if you haven’t had an accident, physical therapy can help. Keeping muscles and joints strong is an important way for seniors to retain their independence, for instance.
Good physical therapy can also make it easier for seniors to recover from falls without assistance, and less likely to get injured in a fall.
Physical therapy is also important to help counteract the natural effects of age. As people age, they tend to lose strength, flexibility, mobility, and balance, which can make it hard to maintain their quality of life. Physical therapy can help slow that process, and in some cases may even be able to reverse it slightly.
Lastly, physical therapy can also help Seniors deal with osteoporosis, reducing the rate of bone density loss, helping muscles strengthen and stabilize your back and joints, and improving blood flow for better outcomes.
Risks Of Skipping Physical Therapy
Skipping physical therapy, especially when it’s recommended by a physician, comes with quite a few risks for elderly patients. It’s important to follow recommendations for physical therapy, otherwise, you’re putting yourself at greater risk.
For instance, after a hospital stay, elderly patients are much more likely to fall. Failing to get effective therapy could potentially lead to a fall, and a re-hospitalization due to injury because of that fall.
Elderly patients are also at increased risk of infections if they have limited movement. Physical therapy helps encourage active movement, which reduces the risk of infection and also helps patients build the muscle strength and mobility needed to move more at home, which helps them stay healthier and avoid unnecessary infections and ulcers.
Reduced strength is also a risk for elderly patients, especially after an injury or procedure. Physical therapy can improve strength and endurance, which is also important for maintaining blood pressure, heart health, and oxygen saturation.
Elderly patients are also at a higher risk of pain from lack of movement if they aren’t in physical therapy or don’t get physical therapy after an injury or procedure. Pain decreases mobility, which leads to more pain, which can quickly turn into a destructive cycle.
How Much Does Physical Therapy Cost?
Physical therapy sessions have a wide range in cost depending on whether you have insurance, and which provider you go to.
Sessions can range between $20-$350.
However, the average cost for people with insurance is about $30 per session, and the average for people without insurance is $120 per session.
Physical therapy can be covered by both private insurance and Medicaid. Here’s what to expect if you have Medicaid:
Does Medicaid NY Cover Physical Therapy?
Yes, Medicaid NY covers physical therapy when it’s been ordered by a physician, and you can talk to your physician about getting physical therapy if you think it would be useful.
In most cases, you’re eligible for up to 20 visits per year. However, 40 visits can be recommended, and you may even be able to get more than 40 visits per year if your doctor decides it’s medically necessary in your case.
Best Physical Therapy In NY
Here are some of the top physical therapy offices in NY for elderly patients.
1. ActiveCare Physical Therapy
ActiveCare Physical Therapy believes in a holistic approach to physical therapy, including identifying areas of weakness and approaching physical therapy as a way to regain function and meet daily needs. They accept all insurance with out-of-network benefits and have a wide range of practitioners with different specialties to meet your unique needs.
2. Body Tuning & Physical Therapy
The goal at Body Tuning & Physical Therapy is to give your body the all-over tune-up it needs to work its best. They also have a holistic approach and work to make sure your body has the tools it needs to be as functional as it can be.
3. Brill Physical Therapy
Brill Physical Therapy offers PT services along with pilates, massage, personal training, and more. They’ll work with you to identify the sources of pain, weakness, and fatigue, and help you rebuild muscles to support those areas of your body better.
Brill offers a varied staff of different kinds of specialists, which helps them address all of your needs in one location.
4. CompleteBody Inc.
At first glance, CompleteBody looks more like a personal training and fitness company than a place you’d go for physical therapy, but that’s a big part of what makes them great at PT. They know what the human body can do, and exactly how to help support it getting there.
No matter your level of fitness, or the goals of your physical therapy, CompleteBody can help you get there healthily and sustainably.
5. Core Focus Physical Therapy
Core Focus is a fantastic place to go if you need a variety of different physical therapy techniques, or need an office that can work with medical conditions and complications, including neurological disorders, that impact your movement. They’re fully trained and certified to help in even the most complicated cases and to help you find ways to restore healthy movement throughout the body.