FEATURE RESULTS-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS AGING GRACEFULLY Serving seniors in the “age-well” movement BY ERIK KLEIN AND ALEX NEILSON (M.S C .PT) C hiropractors, our phys-iotherapy colleagues, massage therapists, and collaborative phy-sicians have a unique opportunity to make a difference in the aging population. According to Statistics Canada, the number of people 80 years of age and older is expected to double in popula-tion size to 3.3 million by 2036. This growth will have an immense impact on the health care system. Declining functional independence and mobility are some of many reasons an older individual may go to a nursing home. Improving the function and mobility can delay this process, and is very important going forward with senior rehabilitation. The truth is that the reality of medical care for geriatric patients is, unfortu-nately, not ideal. According to a report by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, over two-thirds of seniors in Canada believe traditional healthcare has to improve. This belief is a by-prod-uct of a medical system designed in the 1950s that is now under the weight of the beginnings of the “silver tsunami,” and it’s cracking. There is a movement in eldercare to correct these wrongs. Let’s be part of it. Chiropractors, physiotherapists, and our allies have a unique chance to help this demographic profoundly, and much of it comes down to two simple concepts: communication and education. In chiropractic, we hear about these two words regularly, since not everyone knows what we do. If we lead with communication and education, there are some very high impact areas we can assist with as chiropractors, physiotherapists, and manual therapists, and this sur-rounds general fitness, osteoarthritis/ joint health, nutrition, cardiovascular health, and finally mental health/so-cialization. joint that once irritated, lead to some pain and level of impairment vs. the degeneration itself. “That’s why your pain took two weeks to show up, and your joints took 20 years to degenerate.” Also, when in doubt, refer back to #1. Myth #3: It’s just old age Communication: Foolishness! If we cloned you; clone 1 and clone 2; with clone 1 doing everything I asked, being active, eating well, and getting treated when appropriate, vs clone 2 who sat on the couch, ate Cheetos and said “woe is me,” who do you think would be better off after a year? Myth #4: “Oh, I don’t know.” Communication: This complex is a referential merger of myths 1-3, in a beautiful symbiosis that’s more com-plex than humanity itself. It’s the “I feel lost” or, “I’m not worthy,” or “I’m conflicted” comment from an elderly patient. The response is a good quality connection and explanation of what the problem is and what your plan is. Slow it down, keep it simple, rinse and repeat. Myth #1: I need an X-ray or MRI Communication: Imagery and pain don’t always go together. More than 60 per cent have some kind of disc bulge past their 30s; MRI is more of a surgical preparatory tool than a diag-nostic tool. Convey you will order a proper X-ray or MRI, with great care and consideration for the particular patient. Myth #2: It’s arthritis, there’s nothing you can do. Communication: Depending on the severity, often it’s the muscles, capsule, and tendons around the degenerating COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND DISPELLING MYTHS GENERAL FITNESS GOALS/ADLS DR. ERIK KLEIN is the CEO of Town Health Solutions, an Atlantic Canadian Network of corporate-owned and franchised clinics, establishing a new model to rapidly scale chiropractic practices and businesses for new grads and established docs alike. If you would like to be considered for a Regional Master franchise ahead of the national launch, go to townhealthsolutions.com/franchising or email [email protected]. 12 Canadian Chiropractor July/August 2019 Rising from a chair and ascending/ descending a flight of stairs are among the functional tasks that require a certain amount of power and strength. The ability to perform these tasks decline as a result of losses in muscle mass and strength. Muscular power (the combination of muscle strength and velocity of contraction) is linked to functional activities like climbing stairs more than strength is. www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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