Hands Old Old Age Elderly  - sabinevanerp / Pixabay

Senior

Senior

During a life time, person go through various upheaval: emotional, physiological, motor and cognitive. Motor functions, immature at birth, will gradually improve, stabilize for a while and then got weaken by time.  Thus, aging is this phase of life where motor functions got weaken.

A normal ageing, brought gradually the elderly toward slow motion. They stop running, climbing, jumping…Motor skills are deeply affected. Due of this upheaval, body awareness is undermined. The dysharmony between intellectual skils and motor skills is not always easy to cope with. Therefore, self-confidence is strongly disturbed. The elderly can easly loose their self-esteem and motivation which will lead to a decrease of the motor skills. This phenomenon is perfectly illustrated with post-fall syndrome. The psychomotor therapist is here to intervene to restore the elderly self-confidence and well being allowing them going through ageing in their best condition and thus keeping their independency as long as possible.

Unfortunatly, ageing could be as well staked out obstacles. Degeneratives diseases, cardiac issues, diabet, stroke are often experienced by elderly. Those diseases have direct or indirect consequences on person’s autonomy. Psychomotor therapy plays a role to accompagny the patient to slow down this dependency process.

Post-Fall Syndrom

One third of people over 65 year old and half of the one over 85 year old are concerned by fall. For more than 40% of the cases it is the start of dependency.

In any case, fall could have silent consequences called “post fall syndrom”. After a fall, even if all the symptoms have been well healed, the patient will  still experienced balance and walk issues associated with psychological disorders as of depression.

The fall for an elderly could have physical, social and psychological repercussions. The lonelines experience, sometimes during hours, laying down awaken with the inability to get up could be a very traumatic event. Therefore, after this traumatism, the patient could feel ashamed, insecure and worthlessness. Following this event, we regularly observe restrictions of activities, tensions and withdrawal into oneself. That’s how the elderly could end up in dependency.

An early , active and efficient treatment is essential. Global and interdisciplinary, the treatment allows the patient to recover his autonomy. The consequences of a fall could be severe but they are as well reversible due to early treatment.

Dementia

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), ” Dementia is an umbrella term for several diseases affecting memory, other cognitive abilities and behaviour that interfere significantly with a person’s ability to maintain their activities of daily living. Although age is the strongest known risk factor for dementia, it is not a normal part of ageing.”

Wrongly, many people think that dementia are part of normal ageing. Dementia are not a normal ageing processus. They deeply degrade the quality of life.

Psychomotricity and elderly

Psychomotricity plays a role to restore self-esteem and body awareness to allow the patient opening up again toward his sensory inputs, his feelings and accepting his strength and weaknesses. Well being is in the center of the session. The person should be able to find back a certain pleasure to move around, to be able to locate herself, to create new relationship. The goal is to help the elderly finding back a harmony between their mind and body.

The therapist use various activities: dance, soft gym, passive movement, Tai-Chi, balance activities, work on the ground, relaxation, massage…