A physiotherapist may be an important part of a rugby or football team but they’re just as important off the pitch – including keeping older people active.

Anne-Maria Scanlon, chartered physiotherapist, explains that a chartered physiotherapist with a special interest in older adults would be keen to help people keep as active as possible going into their later years.

Helping a person get back to full health if they’re unwell or to achieve full activity is where the chartered physiotherapist can come in, she says. They will assess the individual’s needs and prescribe the appropriate exercise or give advice on what to do.

“As we get older, there are some normal changes that happen to joints and muscles. It’s only when we become unwell or you have something like arthritis on top of these changes that things that younger people bounce back from, take an older person that little bit longer.”

She says a 55-65 year old is not old by any means but their needs might be a little different to somebody who is 25. “That’s where our advice comes in: as a younger adult, you just keep going but, as an older adult, if you keep going without help (or advice), you’ll find it a little bit tougher.”

An older person may visit a physiotherapist initially because they feel more unsteady or find that they’re falling where they never fell before, says Scanlon. They also work with people who have had strokes, have osteoporosis and certain types of dizziness, amongst other things.

To see a physiotherapist through a hospital, people usually need a GP referral or, often, a consultant’s referral. Anybody who wants to do a self-referral is advised to contact a private practitioner. Sessions can cost from €35 to €50 and may be partly covered by your health insurance. All chartered physiotherapists have done modules relating to older people as part of their training.

What to expect on a first visit depends on why a person is attending. However, Scanlon says, everyone can expect a good bit of questioning as part of the assessment: what the difficulty is, how it is affecting them. This gives the chartered physio a sense of where the person is at, where they should be at and how much work may be required on both sides.

“Following that kind of interview, the chartered physio will go on to do the full assessment, checking things like muscle power, how well the joints move, how steady somebody is on their feet, what their walking is like,” she continues.

The method of treatment depends on the physiotherapist, says Scanlon. “Mostly it would be exercise; depending on the condition, the physio will do ‘hands-on’, where they will do specific techniques. Some of the techniques might be to reduce pain or to reduce stiffness. A lot of it will be exercises they can do with us and they can do at home themselves as well.”

Depending on what is wrong with the person, they may have to undress. For example, says Scanlon, if someone had arthritis in their back they would have to take off their shirt. “Depending on what’s wrong with your back, some of the treatment would be mobilising the joints in your back by using my hands on them and adding pressure.”

On the other hand, advice and some exercises could be all that’s needed. Aside from prescribed exercises, staying active is something that is important for the 55-plus age group – it doesn’t matter what the activity is, she says, once people are doing something, be it walking, a round of golf or gardening.

After the first visit, the chartered physiotherapist should be able to give an indication of how many sessions you might need. This could be six weeks, for example, with exercises at home.

According to Scanlon, if the physiotherapist felt, for example, all that was needed was for somebody to correct their posture, ongoing maintenance would be required. Once the person is armed with the right advice and the right exercise, they should be able monitor their progress themselves.

“Most people are pretty good at realising when what they’re doing has either stopped working or something else has started affecting them.” In that case, they should visit their GP or chartered physiotherapist again.