How Could Regular Chiropractic Care Benefit Our Aging Population?
According to former President Barack Obama, “ Much of the money we spend on healthcare is lost to massive waste and inefficiency. The United States leads the world in healthcare expenditures, but one of every four dollars is swallowed up by administrative costs. Each year, 100,000 Americans die because of medical errors and we lose $100 billion because of prescription drug errors alone. Meanwhile, only four cents of every dollar spent on healthcare goes to prevention, while 29 other countries have a higher life expectancy and 38 other nations have lower infant mortality rates. And every year, insurers spend $50 billion a year figuring out how not to cover people. There’s an awful lot of waste and inefficiency in our system.”
Taking these numbers into account, what would happen if we dedicated more than .04 cents of every dollar towards wellness? There is one area of the population that would most definitely benefit and it is the ELDERLY!
A study from 2000 by Rupert examined senior citizens under chiropractic maintenance care,” given to control or prevent subluxation. Subluxations are spinal misalignments that can potentially contribute to the development of arthritis, degenerative disc disease, disc herniations, nerve impingements, irreversible nerve damage, and other serious spinal disorders. Results found that this group of seniors made half the number of visits (50% fewer) to a medical provider when compared to the national average. Furthermore, the greater the length of care, the less likely these seniors were to use over-the-counter drugs. These findings represent an annual healthcare cost that is two-thirds less than the national average recorded.
Chiropractic Care For Senior Citizens
A second study found that senior citizens under routine chiropractic care in Frisco were less likely to report that they had arthritis or that their health status was poor or fair when compared to those not under routine chiropractic care. These seniors were less likely to have used a nursing home and 73.9% of those under routine chiropractic care had not been hospitalized in three years. Lastly, these seniors used fewer over-the-counter drugs than their peers.
That’s almost 75% of elderly patients under chiropractic care who had not required a hospital visit in 3 years!! Can you believe it? Hardly a coincidence if you ask me.
To conclude, I have no doubt that chiropractic care can make a long-standing difference in the health of our aging population. I’ve seen it with my own eyes time after time in my practice. Performing an average of 12,000-13,000 adjustments over the last decade I can’t count the number of patients, 65 and older, that have seen a dramatic improvement in their health and quality of life. Elderly patients who have suffered from a wide range of ailments including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, vertigo, and all types of arthritis have experienced a positive shift in their health and quality of life through chiropractic care.
For the sake of our aging grandparents, and our aging moms and dads, don’t delay! If you know someone whose life could be improved through regular chiropractic care call us today at (214)387-3887! Dr. Taylor and his staff will make you happy that you did!