Open Letter For Aging Adults From An Aging Adult

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Aging And Your Body

You and I have probably never met.

I have worked in healthcare for over 30 years, many of them right here in southern Arizona. I have learned a few things that I want to share with you. Hopefully, you can relate to them.

As an older adult myself, and as a child who has cared for aging relatives, I have been frustrated both to see and to experience the limitations that becoming older brings. We tend to be more fragile, less resilient; things take more effort but we have less endurance. Simple, everyday tasks bring new challenges and risks we never considered 20 years ago.

One of the most bewildering things you may notice about becoming older is the difficulty you begin to experience when attempting tasks that used to take little, if any, effort. The distant possibility of no longer being able to live independently begins to look closer every day to you. You may find it hard to ask for help and consider that we are dependent on others after an entire life of being self-reliant. It can be disheartening, to say the least.

There are steps you can take (and some of you have taken these steps already) to stay more independent for longer. You can feel safer and more capable at home.  Rehabilitation and physical science has shown this to be true.

http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/64A/1/61.short

Our physical therapists are uniquely qualified to help with the difficult business of getting older and more fragile. They have years of experience and they know how to work with you to improve your function.

Our bodies are complex organisms that rely on movement and circulation for strength and balance. If you aren’t using your muscles and joints, over time they become less flexible and more easily fatigued. If you have been injured or ill,  you may become discouraged and believe that physical activity is not possible for you.

It is. Physical therapists work with your personal limitations and consider carefully your injuries or illness.They will provide you with a program that can result in improved balance, more strength, and confidence in your ability to be more independent for longer.

physicaltherapytucson.com

You can take charge – no referral is required – and start today to work a program to improve how you feel.

Sincerely,

Amy

 

amyksherwood