- Physiotherapy for the elderly, i.e. geriatric physiotherapy or senior physiotherapy, is individual and comprehensive rehabilitation.
- We serve our customers at our offices, our customers' homes and residential care homes.
Ageing inevitably affects the body's functional capacity. A familiar exercise may feel harder, you get tired more easily or you experience pain that makes you afraid to move. You may feel that you have challenges with balance and that falling seems scary.
With the help of physiotherapeutic training, you can get more years of vitality and live a safe and active everyday life regardless of your ailments.
Our physiotherapists with specialisation in physiotherapy for the elderly will help you rehabilitate in a wide range of situations:
- slowing down and preventing changes in functional capacity caused by ageing
- fractures caused by falling
- musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis
- cerebrovascular disorders, such as cerebral infarction or cerebral haemorrhage
- impaired memory and cognitive function
- neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease
- cardiovascular diseases
- rehabilitation after hospitalisation
Geriatric physiotherapy is useful in various life situations:
- You are in good basic health, live an active daily life and want to prevent age-related ailments, such as impaired functional capacity and muscle strength. Our physiotherapists provide you with suitable advice and guidance for your situation.
- Independent and safe life at home is your goal, even though ageing has brought challenges to your daily life. Physiotherapeutic services can also be arranged at home.
- You want to promote the resources and functional everyday life of a loved one living in a residential care home. Our physiotherapists always work together with the staff of the home.
We all age, but the pace of changes and their impact on everyday life vary. Therefore, physiotherapy for the elderly always begins with an assessment of functional capacity and resources.
The functional capacity and resource assessment for the elderly includes:
- physical function assessment (musculoskeletal functions, body control, balance and mobility)
- assessment of the accessibility of the home and other environment
- assessment of the need for aids and various services
Physiotherapy is tailored according to your situation and needs. We always consider your wishes, life situation and state of health.
Here is how physiotherapy for the elderly proceeds:
- Background survey. At the first appointment, the physiotherapist will discuss your situation with you and make a functional capacity and resource assessment. You can also bring a loved one with you.
- Goals and plans. You set the goals for physiotherapy together with the physiotherapist. You receive a tailor-made rehabilitation plan to prevent and slow down changes in your functional capacity caused by ageing and promote as active and independent everyday life as possible.
- Physiotherapeutic treatment methods, exercises and aids. The physiotherapist provides you with mobility, balance and muscle fitness exercises. If necessary, you will also receive memory rehabilitation services, pelvic floor physiotherapy or treatments and massages that relieve pain and stiffness. The physiotherapist can also assess the need for aids.
- Self-care. The physiotherapist will tell you – and, if necessary, your loved one – how to improve your mobility, muscle fitness or balance with home exercises. You can also participate in group activities for the elderly, where you can get company for your exercises.
- Follow-up. The physiotherapist monitors the progress of rehabilitation and adjusts the plan according to your situation.
Our geriatric physiotherapists have extensive experience of the effects of ageing on functional capacity. They specialise in providing counselling, guidance and rehabilitation services for the elderly.
Our physiotherapists cooperate closely with all healthcare and rehabilitation professionals working at Mehiläinen. They can refer you to a doctor or other specialist, if necessary.
Learn more about our price list and flexible payment methods that allow you to take care of your well-being or your loved ones in a wide range of situations.
In some cases, you can get a promissory note for geriatric physiotherapy with a doctor's referral.
If you are an occupational healthcare or insurance customer, please check whether you need a referral with your occupational healthcare contact person or insurance company.
The specialist in this article was our geriatric physiotherapist Arja Tiensuu.
Geriatric physiotherapy is holistic rehabilitation that helps to slow down the changes in functional capacity caused by ageing.
It is particularly helpful if you have challenges with functional capacity and the goal is to make you as independent and active as possible.
Physiotherapy for the elderly is suitable in a wide range of situations.
You can start physiotherapy even before you have any age-related challenges. You will receive advice and guidance on how to prevent and slow down the changes brought about by ageing.
Physiotherapy also promotes your active everyday life if, for example, you have a chronic disease, balance disorders, pain or if you are recovering from a bone fracture caused by a fall, have been ill or do not know how to move safely.
We also provide geriatric physiotherapy services in residential care homes in cooperation with the staff.
Physiotherapy for the elderly is always planned on the basis of individual needs and wishes. First of all, our physiotherapists will determine your initial status.
Exercises and muscle fitness and balance training will improve your functional capacity independently at home or with others in a group.
You also have access to memory rehabilitation, pelvic floor physiotherapy, treatments to relieve stiffness and pain, home visits and an assessment of the need for assistive devices and other rehabilitation.
Geriatric physiotherapy can be provided at a physiotherapist's appointment, in the customer's home, care institutions and residential care homes.
Physiotherapy for the elderly begins with a functional capacity and resource assessment so that we can plan physiotherapy that is suitable for the customer’s needs.
The functional capacity and resource assessment for the elderly includes:
- physical functional capacity assessment
- assessment of the accessibility of the home and other environment
- assessment of the need for aids and various services
Self-paid physiotherapy home visits are deductible as household expenses. Only the physiotherapy services performed at home are deductible.
Read more about deductible household expenses and physiotherapy.
The precondition for the household expenses deduction is that the person pays taxes to an extent that deductions can be made from them.
The household expenses deduction is also available if work has been done in the home or secondary residence of the taxpayer, their spouse or a deceased spouse's parents or other relatives in a direct ascending line or the home or secondary residence of any aforementioned spouse.
The deduction is granted if the service is provided at the customer's home and the service is paid for by the customer. A person living in a residential care home, nursing home, senior citizen’s home or group home is also entitled to the service under certain conditions.
Under certain conditions, a household expenses deduction can be granted for physiotherapy services if the customer lives in a residential care home and purchases physiotherapy services there on their own initiative.
In this case, the physiotherapy services must be provided in private premises occupied by the person and other prerequisites for receiving the support must be met, for example, a service voucher must not have already been received for the same service.
Physiotherapy household expenses deduction is not granted for:
- physiotherapy appointments
- remote appointments
- public healthcare customer fees
- service fees related to assisted living
The deduction is also not applied to services purchased with a service voucher or if family care or child care allowance has been granted.
Our geriatric physiotherapists are familiar with the challenges and opportunities of an ageing body. They are here to help you when you need to take care of your own functional capacity or the well-being of an ageing loved one.
Learn more about our geriatric physiotherapy professionals.
Our customer service on +358 (0)10 414 00 is also happy to help you find a suitable professional and book an appointment.
Physiotherapy for the elderly begins with an assessment of functional capacity and resources, the aim of which is to find out the resources of the ageing person and their ability to cope at home.
The assessment is carried out so that we can plan the physiotherapy according to the customer's needs.
