After being in the hospital, physical therapy can greatly improve the condition of your loved one, which can help keep them independent.

If your parent or spouse has recently spent some time in the hospital, you may want to consider rehabilitation to help him or her get back into their pre-hospital condition. Rehabilitation services can put elderly people back on the right track to regaining their strength, health and independence. As research shows, even a short stay in the hospital can lead to a decline in physical abilities.

While in the hospital, deconditioning is a common problem – especially among the elderly. Deconditioning is a process of changes that take place after bed rest or inactivity, and can result in functional loss of the ability to accomplish activities of daily living. The problems from deconditioning are most notable in the musculoskeletal system, due to a loss of muscle mass. It is estimated that people in the hospital can lose from 2-5% of their muscle mass per day. This loss of muscle mass can lead to a decline in daily function, increase in falls, immobility, and an increase in frailty.

Strength training programs have many benefits for older people, especially after they have been in the hospital. The National Institutes of Health also states that after serious injury, illness or surgery, recovery may be slow and people may benefit from rehabilitative services. Physical therapy, they report, will help to strengthen muscles, increase mobility, and improve fitness.

Rehabilitation and strength training are steps in the right direction to help combat the problem. If your parent has had a recent hospital visit or is scheduled for an upcoming one, call and make an appointment with Westwood Physical Therapy. We can arrange rehabilitative services to hasten your parent’s recovery process.