On August 29th, 2023, my mom developed Covid, had a seizure, and became unresponsive for twenty five minutes. For ten of those, I held her, alone, waiting for the EMTs, and thought she was brain-dead or dying. At one point, she turned blue and I gave her mouth to mouth. I still don’t have the right words to describe quite what it was like, but I can tell you those ten minutes were long enough to go from confusion, to panic, to action, to acceptance. Once the seizure stopped, I just held her and tried to breathe and kept asking her to do the same, telling her over and over ‘you’re okay, mom, I’ve got you, you’re okay, keep breathing.’ I should mention that my mom has had Parkinson’s disease for 20 years, so while considering the inevitability of her mortality is nothing new or shocking to me, I definitely didn’t think it was going to be like this.
Ever wonder how to RETRAIN the BRAIN? Read on learn all about the wonderful world of NEUROPLASTICITY….
Two recent studies came out that I think every Adult over 50 should know about. Read on for a brief review of these two journal articles + 5 simple strategies to improve your daily physical activity level to REDUCE your chance of death and disability from Covid-19.
Believe it or not, I hate discharging patients. It’s always a hard conversation. I become attached. They become attached. Most people feel BETTER after their therapy visits and who would want to stop that? But the truth is, we can’t see you forever (except sometimes, but that’s a story for a different blog post). So, I penned this Dear John letter to put all my feelings into words and let you know what is actually going through our heads when we come to the hard decision that it is time to discharge you from your physical therapy care.
As a ‘Medicare B’ therapy practice, we hear all sorts of crazy myths and misconceptions that often keep people from getting the care they need. Read on to hear about the top 5 Medicare Myths and learn how you can make the most of your Medicare B Therapy Benefit.
Healthy Aging Physical Therapy strives to give people living with Parkinson’s the support they need to better manage their symptoms - at all stages of the disease.
Healthy Aging Physical Therapy strives to give people living with Parkinson’s the support they need to better manage their symptoms - at all stages of the disease.
Lessons learned from Bob Saget and why it’s SO important to tell your doctor when you fall!
If there is one thing we can’t avoid, it’s aging. Every day, every minute, every second…you, me and everyone around us is getting older. Whether you’re 30, 50 or 85, the decisions we make every day contribute to the trajectory of our aging process. While we’re all guilty of trying to find the easy answer, the bad news is that Healthy Aging is a lifestyle, not a magic pill. The good news is that solution is actually pretty simple, and truth be told, you probably already know the answer. And if you don’t…don’t worry, I got you covered:)
Summer came in with a bang this year - a hot bang - and Boston made records for the warmest June on record.
And while summer comes with it’s shares of highs, it also comes with it’s share of lows - Low Blood Pressure, that is!
Here are a couple tips for keeping your blood pressure regulated in the heat:
People often think of physical therapists as the go-to people to treat musculoskeletal pain, but physical therapy has much to offer beyond pain management, especially when it comes to the older adult. Read on for 5 Ways Physical Therapy and Exercise can help you live your best life as you age.
😳Did you know that simply being the SPEED that you walk can predict whether you still stay ACTIVE and INDEPENDENT - or whether you will be at increased risk for FRAILTY and FALLS? In fact, walking speed has been referred to as the ‘6th vital sign’ because it so highly correlated with over function. 🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️
Sometimes the best advice comes from the least expected places. This week, I bring you wise words from my seven year old, as she taught me how to ‘relax’ by dancing on our back deck:
“Let me show you how to be a kid. You just do the things your body tells you to do - the fun things!”
Healthy kids don’t have to set aside time to exercise, because exercise is simply part of their everyday life. They move constantly. They fidget, they chase their friends, they play sports and take gymnastics classes and dance.
As adults, sometimes, we too often stop doing all the ‘fun things’ our body tells us to do. We replace the fun things with work, and stress, and sitting and to-do lists. We have to schedule exercise in, just to get it done.
But what if we started looking at exercise like a kid again?
FAQ: Should I use a Cane or a Walker?
The answer is...it depends! (This is every physical therapist's favorite answer, by the way...)
As a Geriatric Physical Therapist, I spend oodles of time talking about assistive devices. Whether it’s working to wean off of one, or educating my patient on the importance of using one, my day-to-day includes much talk of canes, walkers, wheelchairs and the like. But like most things in PT-world, the who-gets-what assistive device conversation is never black and white, but here are a few things I think about when deciding which assistive device to recommend.
During a library talk last week, I spoke on the topic of Health Literacy. The day I was scheduled to present, I found myself dealing with a real-life example with a patient of why having a good grasp on health literacy is so critical to healthy aging. During our visit, I realized my patient had been taking double the dose of her prescribed medication - not out of any error on her part, but because she had two prescriptions on file for the same medication, one for the generic version, and one for the brand name - and she was unaware they were the same drug. How does this happen? How does it get by so many layers of well-meaning and conscientious health care professionals and hospital settings? Unfortunately, this stuff happens, and happens all too often, because there are a lot of ‘cooks in the kitchen’ and because all of us ‘cooks’ are human and we make mistakes. But this, this is why it is so imperative for you as the consumer, as the patient, to have an adequate level of health literacy - so you can be your own advocate, so you can be on the lookout for these human errors and so you can play an active, instead of passive, role in your own health maintenance.
As you know, I love to counter a question with another question, or in this case, three:
1 ) Have you fallen in the past year?
2) Do you feel unsteady with standing or walking?
3) Do you worry about falling?
If the answer to any of these is yes, research has shown that you are likely at an increased risk for falling. Now while this may seem like a short and sweet, the actual answer is a bit longer and more involved. This is where I come in. When I check to see if a patient of mine is at increased risk of falls, I’m like a detective on a trail. While I may start with these questions, their answers lead me down windy trails where I pick up clues that not only determine IF you are at fall risk, but more importantly, WHY. And it’s the WHY that allows me to help you prevent them. But that’s a story for a different post.
I’ve gone back and forth what to post all day. Do I do the thing ‘I’m supposed to do’ and post a nice ‘Happy New Year you graphic? Do I write about how guilty I feel thinking about expressing gratitude to have made it through this year relatively scratch-free, when I’ve seen so many friends struggle with loss this year? Do I sit back and make Big Goals and Resolutions then share them with the world? (The possibilities are endless..)
Guys I have a confession to make…
I haven’t been to the dentist in over a year. Between Covid-related closures and life, it just didn’t happen. But I went this morning, and am so glad I did. And it got me thinking about a few things.
FAQ: What do you actually do?
(Aka when your PT doesn’t ‘look’ like a normal PT..)
I get it - Physical Therapists who don’t always look and act like ‘normal’ physical therapists can throw you for a loop. Us Geriatric Mobile PT’s don’t have a clinic. We don’t work with aides. Heck, we don’t even own an ultrasound or estim unit (usually!). So what is that we actually do?
FAQ: How ‘Old’ Do I Have To Be to See You
(Hint: It’s a trick question)
I’ll answer this question with another question. Are you older than you were yesterday? Then you’re ‘old enough’ to see me.
As a Physical Therapist, I don’t actually ‘treat’ Dementia. But, I do treat an a whole lot of people with dementia. Why do people with dementia end up on my caseload? Frequently, people with dementia fall and have fall-related injuries that require physical therapy. People with dementia are also at increased risk for social isolation, malnutrition, inactivity and inevitably, functional decline. And more than anything, because I treat older adults as a specialty, dementia is simply one of the more common diagnoses I find on that long list of age-associated diseases that follows the prompt for past medical history.
Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States, and the numbers of people living with Diabetes are increasing. Since I’ve been alive (I’m under 40, but over 35 for those of you wondering..), the number of cases of diabetes have QUADRUPLED. Trends project that by 2050, 1 out of ever 3 American adults will have Diabetes.
Part III, and my favorite part to write, reviews the concrete steps we can take to prevent pulmonary disease and slow age-related changes to the lungs.
Part II in the HAE Pulmonary series looks at how our lungs change with age, and reviews some of the common pathologies experienced that can affect lung health.
Discover the powerful link between exercise and mental health in older adults. Learn how staying active can combat depression and improve overall well-being. Explore effective strategies to incorporate exercise into daily routines for a happier, healthier life.