Rehabbing after an accident, surgery, or other problem can be difficult at any point in a person's life. However, this is especially true when it comes to the elderly. If you or a loved one are exploring whether elderly rehab care is a good option, you should be aware of these four scenarios where people commonly turn to it.
Difficulty with Balance
Many older people struggle with maintaining their balance. If someone fell and injured their hip, for example, it can take time to learn to walk. The person often has different locomotion after an accident and injury, and they have to get a handle on how their body works in the aftermath. Fortunately, a rehabilitation services provider can work with them to understand the limitations of the situation and how to find their balance.
Range of Motion
This is a problem that afflicts people of all ages following injuries. As the body tries to heal, the affected parts can get tight and develop range-of-motion problems. If you tore the labrum in your shoulder, for example, the entire socket may simply not move around as well as it once did.
Notably, promoting a person's range of motion is important to the healing process. Elderly rehab care can ensure they don't allow the joint to get worse by not using it. Likewise, a rehab provider can explain how to maximize the range of a body part's motion without straining it. For example, a person with a shoulder injury might have to learn how to get items out of the cupboard without stressing the socket.
Muscle Atrophy
Especially if you had a long period of immobility, muscle atrophy can be very problematic. You need to redevelop your muscle strength so you can rehab. However, rehab generally requires some degree of vigor. A rehabilitation services professional can help you rebuild your muscle strength so you can then follow up with other forms of care. As you regain your strength, you'll be able to compound the benefits of rehab by taking on more robust activities.
Speech
Particularly if a person is dealing with neurological problems, speech can be badly affected. This happens after strokes, in particular. A person needs time to rework their language skills and coordinate them with intent. There are often frustrations along the way, too. Rehabilitation services, however, can often help a person regain enough speech capacity to deal with everyday tasks.
For more info, contact a home health care company.
