Innovation and Well-being for the elderly
The challenge of nursing homes
The wealth of elderly people
“If youth only knew, if age only could”, “If you don’t want to die young, you have to grow old”. Who among us has never heard something similar coming from their grandparents? Their faces are chiselled by time, like a masterpiece or an old book, but full of knowledge.
All too often we forget the value that the elderly hold in our life and in our communities. Now more than ever, it is important to remember that it is them who give us examples of wisdom, knowledge, awareness, courtesy, and of unconditional love for children and grandchildren.
Something happens in the frenzy of daily life though: these faces rich in knowledge age inexorably, and not everyone is so lucky as to remain autonomous and lucid.
Families and communities have to deal with this phenomenon: despite the support of charitable associations and local medical professionals and operators, not everyone can accommodate their elderly in their own home. Entrusting the care of their loved ones to a nursing home is a very hard decision that many have to make. This has financial, functional and psychological consequences that need to be managed.
Especially so if the person is still in possess of their cognitive functions, this decision entails guilt, and pain caused by the detachment from home, loved ones, and habits. Personal dignity also comes into play, when the elderly struggle to let strangers help and assist them.
Nursing homes: towards an innovative, ever-evolving model
Technological innovation is growing steadily in all sectors, and is accompanied by a demographic phenomenon where the population is ageing progressively. By 2050, over 2.1 billion people are expected to be over 60: a natural change that communities will have to learn to manage.
Now more than ever, nursing homes must implement a more and more dedicated and professional approach, making the most of the relevant technologies in the treatment of old age disorders.
The needs of the elderly are more and more connected to psycho-physical well-being, independence preservation, and respect of human dignity. Once the satisfaction of the guests was merely referred to the organisation of the medical care and, in more advanced facilities, to the entertainment provided to promote socialisation, but today science and technology allow much more.
It is no coincidence that some first-class nursing homes in Europe are introducing technological innovation that were originally intended for completely different markets. This is the case of Zerobody, developed to meet the need for psycho-physical well-being of athletes, business people and travellers, which turned out to be a valuable ally for the elderly as well.
The benefits of the Dry Float Therapy
Thanks to to its innovative system that suits everyone and has no contraindications or age limits, Zerobody can offer the benefits of floatation (otherwise inaccessible) to the guests of the nursing homes that feature it. Zerobody has no contraindication and is used for both mental and physical benefits by 95% of elderly people who have it at their disposal.
Its benefits are countless, and cover many aspects of the daily life of the elderly:
It lowers blood pressure
High blood pressure affects men and women from around 50 years of age and it is a problem that gets worse with age. The walls of large arteries stiffen, and the peripheral blood vessels become narrower. The heart must pump the blood more forcefully, and this leads to an increase in blood pressure.
Zerobody favours the lowering of blood pressure because, thanks to the loss of gravitational body weight and the absence of direct contact, it accelerates venous and lymphatic circulation, favouring a greater supply of oxygen and nutriment to organs and tissues.
It favours sleep-wake balance
The change in daily routine, rhythms, habits, the sentimentality of distant memories, the forced sharing of spaced with other people, the separation from children, the constant and obsessive thinking: all of this may lead the elderly towards depression and sleep troubles.
Insomnia produced a drop in focus, worsening memory and triggering irritability. On the other hand, an elderly person who sleeps well regenerates and protects their brain, improves their mood and, as a consequence, improves the overall functioning of their body.
Thanks to its intense relaxing effect that filters out the negative thinking, Zerobody makes falling asleep easier: the muscles are released, the breathing is balanced, the joint pain is eased, and the brain is at peace.
It eases muscle and joint paint
Almost all the elderly suffer from joint and muscle ailments; many complain of pain ascribable to arthritic processes (the so-called rheumatisms), but they are often muscle or nerve pains. The elderly struggle to find relief due to poor joint lubrication and tissue oxygenation, the use of drugs and the little physical exercise.
Zerobody serves as a true panacea: the loss of gravitational weight eliminates the stress on the joints, the spine is stretched, and the better blood flow brings oxygen to the sore areas, ensuring overall relief.
It favours light manipulations by the medical staff or the physical therapists
During floatation, the body lies in a natural position, without constraints. The absence of gravitational weight allows medical staff and physical therapists to perform light manipulations on the joints, which improves blood flow and muscle function. It is also possible to perform light massages on the whole body to ease muscle soreness.
It has a positive effect on bedsores
It is a constant problem that causes pain and serious ailments to elderly people. Dry floatation allows the body to remain suspended on water without direct points of contact. On the one hand, it eases the pain; on the other, it offers a break from the stress associated to the sores for the entire duration of the session.
It relaxes the nervous system
Elderly people often lose their cognitive skills, both as a normal consequence of ageing, or due to neurological diseases, like Alzheimer’s. The loss of hearing first, and then the possible loss of speech produces in them moments of restlessness and irritability, which make them suffer and the operators struggle to cope.
Thanks to all the reasons mentioned above, Zerobody can offer extraordinary calm and peace, positively influencing blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.
It fights brain ageing
Thanks to the contents realised in a partnership with an Institute of neuro-scientific research, Zerobody is equipped with six audioguide Mindfulness programs. Many studies have confirmed the effectiveness of this mental exercise as a tool to slow down mental ageing and to boost cognitive stimulation.