Help Your Client Practice Relaxation Therapy


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Meditation and relaxation are great health boosters for anyone, but especially for seniors. Research has shown that meditation can improve many emotional and physical issues in seniors, including loneliness, stress, inflammation and insomnia. If you provide elderly home care services for clients who suffer from any of these conditions, or could simply use some relaxation time, you may want to consider doing these three relaxation therapy exercises with them: 

1. Breathing
Work on different breathing techniques with your clients for when they’re stressed or when they’re ready to deliberately relax. Try gathering peaceful or happy images, then having your client breathe deeply while focusing on them. This provides stress relief and allows the brain to focus on the positive. 

2. Tense and release
Have your clients lie down on their beds. Working from the toes and feet up, have your clients tense each set of muscles on their body then release them on an exhale, allowing them to relax completely. Work all the way up, until the whole body is relaxed. This technique allows the person practicing it to take control of his or her body and the tension inside it. 

3. Meditation
If you have clients who are interested in meditation, it might be worth taking beginners’ classes or speaking with a practitioner. There are several different kinds of meditation, all of which can have various health benefits, but it’s not easy to begin meditating without a little help.