It’s not hard to get seniors into the water to perform aquatic therapy with the HydroWorx therapy pool at her facility, says Katie O’Shea, PT, DPT, GCS, MBA, the rehabilitation program manager and master clinician at PowerBack Rehabilitation in New Jersey.
But, she adds, it’s hard to get them out.
“Patients never refuse the pool,” she says. “It can be hard to get them out. They turn into fish.”
Her clients build up to using the underwater treadmill, including using jets for resistance. A person’s body is not fully weighed down by gravity in the pool, which helps ease pain and makes easier to build strength and balance. This allows seniors to eliminate the fear of falling.
“For us it’s a great adjunct to therapy,” O’Shea says. “It truly can be what you want it. It’s very patient-specific. From a clinical standpoint, our patients couldn’t live without it.”
From the May 01, 2014 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
