Jasmine Health Care

18/02/2026

Which comfortable piece of furniture could be reducing an older person’s leg strength?
First, the good news which is that it doesn’t have to. When it comes to “use it or lose it” for adults 65 and over, raising the seat of an electronic armchair in order to stand up can reduce the fitness of the leg muscles in standing up from sitting. Deconditioning is what happens to muscles that aren’t getting used as much as they were. It is the opposite to conditioning - as in “strength and conditioning” - and usually involves a reduction in muscle size and capacity.
For an older adult, say in their 80s, regularly raising the armchair seat can reduce their ability to stand up from a normal height chair. So in order to avoid unnecessary leg muscle deconditioning, it’s best just to use a seat raise as much as is needed, of course being mindful of pain, difficulty and day to day variations, especially if there are other health issues. This way, they can remain able to bring themselves to standing by keeping the muscles able to do it.

17/02/2026

Pain is not the same as damage, but how do we know when to pull back from doing that painful thing? Here are 3 scenarios that may cause you to feel more pain. Can you identify with any of them?
You haven’t been doing much activity for a while then suddenly you do 3 hours’ worth
You’re going through a stressful time and notice that little twinge you sometimes have, is feeling worse than usual.
Or perhaps you’ve been told you have arthritis and there’s nothing that can be done about it

It’s definitely not all in your head – yes, pain that you feel is the outcome of your brain interpreting signals from the body as a threat or danger. But nerve signals are sometimes amplified and made more sensitive by what else is happening in your body, such as a stress response from something that has happened. The good news is that with the right guidance and strategies, pain may often be diminished as we understand more about the many things that could be contributing to it.

10/02/2026

Some home visit clients tell me they’ve “never been good at exercise”, or even that exercise is a bit intimidating. If someone you hadn’t met before came to your home and told you to exercise, you might be thinking something similar - especially if you have pain.
In reality though, physiotherapy for older adults doesn’t have to be so hard.
We start gently and build up over time, keeping it doable.
If it’s fun, laughter is great for helping overcome challenges.
People love that sense of pride when they’ve done the work and noticed a change, like:
• Less stiffness
• Better balance
• More confident mobility
Progress comes from getting results, and that comes from assessing what the client needs, likes, doesn’t like – and - definitely does not find intimidating.

15/04/2024

Did you keep up with doing our standing balance exercises for the past 2 weeks? If so you might like to re-test your standing balance today.

To help you do that, and see any changes, here are the two tests again:

First position yourself in front of a chair and/or next to a bench while testing yourself, especially if you are unsteady. If you need someone to help you, arrange a time when you’re both not in a hurry. Always be safe and either sit down or hold onto the nearby bench if you feel very unsteady.

TEST No 1: Standing as above, place your feet together or as close as possible. If you are holding onto something and feel safe to do so, try letting go and see if you can count to 30. Return to start position at or before 30 sec if needed, and record what you counted to.

If you could do this one, proceed to TEST No 2. If not, stop.

TEST No 2: Standing as above, with feet touching or close together. Then step one foot slightly forward so it is partly ahead of the other, with the arch against the toe of the other foot. Count to 20, again not holding onto anything if safe to do so. Return to normal stance and record how long you stayed in that position.

SCORING:
Test 1. For 10 sec score 1, for 20 sec score 2, for 30 sec score 3.
Test 2. For 5 sec score 1, for 10 sec score 2, for 20 sec score 3.

Your total score is out of 6. Did you keep a record of your score? How did you go? Did you improve? Let us know in the comments. Hope you enjoyed it, but if you missed it you can find the tests and exercises in the Empowering Seniors posts from 18 th to 26 th March.

Balance exercises can also be fitted into everyday life. Contact us for more information on 0400 216 543 or through our website.

12/04/2024

Boxing – because of its fast, more intense upper body, lower body and trunk movements this is proving to be successful in helping people living with Parkinson’s disease to improve their quality of movement. It’s also a good way to keep fit.

Neuro-active – these exercises help restore nerve pathways in the brain that have slowed down or become inactive. When you do an exercise that requires focus on the speed, strength or size of the movement, the neurons are activated to gradually grow new connections that enable you to do it again more easily in the future.

Strength and fitness – staying on top of your fitness in the way that you prefer, in addition to neuro-active exercise helps keep everything moving. When you’re fitter, you expend less energy doing things than you would otherwise. Fatigue levels can improve as a result.

08/04/2024

If I have a hand tremor does it mean I have Parkinson’s disease?

We all tend to diagnose ourselves, but PD can be difficult and take time to diagnose. There are no special X-rays or blood tests, and no two people experience the disease exactly the same. Furthermore, there are a number of other conditions that can look like Parkinson’s disease and need to be excluded.

A hand tremor does not necessarily indicate PD because there are different types of hand tremor. Additionally, some types of PD do not include a tremor.

One common type of non-Parkinson’s tremor is an essential tremor. It’s a rhythmic shaking of the hands or body that can increase while doing tasks like tying shoelaces, and may include the head or other parts of the body.

A tremor associated with Parkinson’s is more likely when the person is at rest, and can involve the thumb and fingers in a “pill-rolling” – like action. It often disappears when doing something active.

If you suspect you or someone you know may have Parkinson’s disease, see your GP. A neurologist is the specialist your GP can refer you to, for investigations and to make or rule out the diagnosis.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/essential-tremor/symptoms-
causes/syc-20350534

07/04/2024

April is Parkinson’s disease awareness month

What are the signs of early Parkinson’s disease?

Everyone is different, but here are a few:
• Deterioration in handwriting size or quality
• Hand or chin tremor when sitting still
• Trouble moving or walking
• Quiet voice

If you suspect there’s a possibility you or someone you know may have Parkinson’s disease, see your GP. A neurologist is the specialist your GP can refer you to, for investigations and to make or rule out the diagnosis.

https://www.parkinson.org/library/fact-sheets/10-signs

04/04/2024

April is Parkinson’s disease awareness month
In recent years research has discovered the existence of neuro-active exercise for PD. It’s different to running, weights, gym or swimming because it stimulates the parts of the brain affected by Parkinson’s disease. A PD exercise program delivered by a trained physiotherapist, followed up by the person doing it at home, can help regain movement and activities, and improve balance. It has also been shown in some cases, to reduce the need for increased medication and to slow the progression of the disease.

https://www.parkinson.org/living-with-parkinsons/treatment/exercise

Our PD trained physiotherapist delivers the PD program through home visits or video
sessions. For more information, call on 0400 216 543 or contact us through the website

02/04/2024

Firstly - How are you doing with the exercises from the past week or two? Next week is balance re-test week. DM us if you missed it and would like a copy of the exercises!

April is Parkinson’s disease awareness month. Here is a description of the 3 types of Parkinson’s disease, in our next post we’ll look at how exercise can help stop its progression.

1) Bradykinetic (literally “slow movement”) – where movement progressively becomes slower, stiffer and smaller in amplitude. Not necessarily associated with a tremor.
https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/movement-
symptoms/bradykinesia

2) Tremor-dominant – where a “pill rolling” type tremor can be while the person is resting, not doing anything, or an intention tremor that develops on when using the hand.
https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/movement-symptoms/tremor

3) Rigidity or Agility Impaired – where there is a feeling of tightness and stiffness in the body, and balance is a significant problem.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-
causes/syc-20376055

26/03/2024

There are many ways to Empower Seniors! Here is a link to some important health care, endorsed by physiotherapists and the Australian Physiotherapy Association. Proud to be part of a profession that promotes health for all!

https://healthcarechannel.co/new-initiative-to-address-physical-health-lag-in-ageing-lgbtq-community/

26/03/2024

Did you measure your balance in our post from 18th March then try these exercises? If not, there’s still time. If you practise 3-4 times a week for 2 weeks (yes, it’s over Easter so you may need to find a little quiet spot to do it), you may notice improvement. On Tues 9th April we’ll do a balance re-check post.

**Here’s a summary of last week’s four balance exercises. Position yourself near a bench or the back of a sturdy chair and use it as a support if needed. Hold with 1 or 2 hands. Pictures below.

1) Arm reach -standing normally, raise your arms out in front of you and reach them forward as far as you can safely go, without moving your feet. Return to start position. x 5

Head and shoulder turn – Gently turn your head and shoulders to look as far behind you as possible to the right, then return to start position. Do the same to the left. Don’t force the turn, remember it’s about turning then resuming normal posture. x 5

3) Slow marching - Lifting one foot at a time as high as you comfortably can, march slowly on the spot. Continue for 2 min.

4) Balance standing – With feet close together, place one foot slightly ahead of the other and hold for 20 sec. Adjust the front foot as suits you. If safe you can put one foot directly in front of the other, heel to toe. Hold with two, one or no hands. x 3

Enhancing lives of older Australians through expert physio & care. Let’s move better, together. 💚