Independent LivingTrends in Senior Physical Wellness
November 18, 2019
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but instead will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” –Thomas Edison
Brightmore University ended the Fall Semester with “Current Trends in Senior Physical Wellness”, presented by Ryan Godfrey, PT, DPT, owner of Change the Game Performance Therapy in Wilmington, NC. Ryan Godfrey used to work in hospitals and nursing homes, quickly realizing instead of helping others after the fact, he would rather be on the front line of education, so he changed his role as a physical therapist.
“What is Wellness?”…Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than being free from illness; it is a dynamic process of change and growth. Ryan gave us information and stats to learn more about the state of our current healthcare system and its shortcomings in addressing physical wellness, which includes cardiac disease, obesity, diabetes, dementia, depression, orthopedic surgeries and the opioid epidemic.
We learned all the risk factors of each and what we can do to play an active role as consumers, such as being focused more on the benefits of sleep, nutrition, hydration, exercise, cardio, strength training, yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and water-based exercise. The end of the program focused on how healthcare providers are beginning to lead the paradigm shift for future wellness practices with some already using natural remedies, essential oils, and exercise as remedies instead of prescription medicines.
Even as we grow as seniors, the technology grows with us and there are so many avenues we can take to make sure we are getting enough activity such as wearable devices, fitness watches, Telehealth consultation online, and classes such as “Silver Sneakers”.
It’s up to us to take control of our physical and mental well-being, and this session gave us some great tips on how to slowly make the change.