Nursing homes are a venue in which geriatric-massage therapists can be found, and massage has been found to reduce seniors’ pain, decrease agitation and improve balance.
A just-released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 25 percent of all nursing-home residents reported or showed signs of pain.
Among the results of “Prevalence and Management of Pain, by Race and Dementia Among Nursing Home Residents: United States, 2004”:
• Nonwhite residents and residents with dementia were less likely to report or show signs of pain compared with white residents and residents without dementia.
• Nonwhite residents with dementia were least likely, and white residents without dementia were most likely to report or show signs of pain.
• Forty-four percent of nursing home residents with pain received neither standing orders for pain medication nor special services for pain management (i.e., appropriate pain management).
• Among residents with dementia and pain, nonwhite residents were more likely than white residents to lack appropriate pain management.
Source: CDC, www.cdc.gov.
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• Massage Therapy Reduces Agitation in Nursing-Home Residents• Therapeutic Touch Eases Agitation in People with Alzheimer’s
• Massage for Elders Could Rise, Along with Life Expectancy
• Essential Oils for Alzheimer’s Patients
• New Research: Massage Improves Elders’ Balance, Agility