Stephan Baldwin is the Director of Business Development for Assisted Living Center, an online directory of senior living communities.

All chiropractic professionals understand the benefits everyone receives from care, but some groups of people benefit differently than others.

If your office hasn’t considered attracting more senior patients there are plenty of reasons to do so. Seniors’ physical capabilities decline rapidly as they age, making regular appointments to a chiropractor a necessity.

There are approximately 40,000 senior living communities in the United States. Connecting with a director of a community can result in dozens of referrals for a practice. Chiropractic software like FreeCHIRO have features to track patient referral sources which can be a great help.

Aging adults can face several common physical challenges; the following seven chiropractic benefits can help improve the lives of millions of older people.

1. Pain Relief
Suffering from back pain is a common ailment among seniors as a result of existing spinal conditions and disorders. The soft tissue that supports the spine and back is not nearly as flexible and takes much longer to heal in the elderly. Chiropractic doctors can be some of the safest and most effective means for helping seniors cope with their day to day pain issues.

2. Improved Range of Motion
Seniors have difficulty doing some daily activities and tasks that the rest of us take for granted. Tying shoes, reaching something on a shelf, or playing with grandchildren can become monumental tasks. Chiropractic care has been proven by the Phillip Chiropractic Research Centre at RMIT University to maintain and even improve range of motion in seniors, sometimes immediately following an adjustment.

3. Healthier Joints
A spine that is out of alignment is like a foundation of a house that isn’t level. It negatively affects everything that it supports. A misaligned spine can cause joints to wear down faster than they should. Regular spinal adjustments can keep seniors from from hip and knee pain, arthritis, and reduced stress on the spine.

4. Coordination and Balance Improved
Changes in a senior’s spine and neck from injury or natural degeneration can affect something known as mechanoreceptors. These receptors located in the back of the neck are responsible for sending signals to the brain that provides each person with their sense of body awareness and coordination.

When these mechanoreceptors become impaired seniors start to rely on their vision for coordinating limbs and balance. If it gets too bad an elderly person can’t get up without help from another person.

Studies have shown that chiropractic visits stimulate these receptors improving their function and resulting in better coordination and balance.

5. Decreased Chance of Falling
A secondary benefit of improving balance and coordination in seniors is less falls. Falling is a far too common problem among the elderly that results in fractures. In fact, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 250,000 hip fractures happen every year as a result of falls.

6. Keeps Seniors Independent
Maintaining the ability to perform daily tasks, keeping their mobility, and most importantly preventing devastating injuries as a result of falls, chiropractic care helps seniors can stay independent longer.

7. Better Overall Health & Well-Being
While pain relief is a major benefit, chiropractic care is so much more than that. It’s about a better quality of life and helping seniors do so much more than they were able to do before. Working in the garden, being able to play a full round of golf, or just getting a comfortable, good night’s sleep.

If you plan frequently treating seniors, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s common for older adults to forget or lose track of appointments. FreeCHIRO offers is unlimited appointment reminders that can help seniors avoid a missed session.

You can help stop the needless pain and suffering in the aging baby boomer population. Are you ready to start improving the health of seniors? Click here to try FreeChiro for free.

Categories: Chiropractic