Orewa · Hibiscus Coast
Gentle treatment for older adults on the Hibiscus Coast
Stiff hips, a knee that has never been right since the replacement, stiffness that makes the first hour of the day the worst one. Getting older is not a reason to accept pain, and treatment does not have to be forceful to work. Our senior elderly care Orewa team works gently, at your pace.
Older adults on the Hibiscus Coast
Orewa and the Hibiscus Coast have a lot of people in their seventies and eighties who intend to stay in their own homes, keep walking the beach and keep driving. Most of what stops that is pain and stiffness, not age itself.
Our Orewa clinic on Cammish Lane is on the ground floor with free parking outside, which matters when stairs and a long walk from the car are the reason people stop going places. Silverdale, Millwater, Red Beach, Whangaparaoa and Stanmore Bay are all a short drive.
Treatment is adapted rather than watered down. Slower, lower-force technique, positions that suit stiff hips and shoulders, and appointments that are not rushed. If you are more comfortable sitting than lying down, we work with you sitting.
What we treat
The complaints that fill an older caseload, and what treatment realistically does for each.
Hands-on treatment and the right strengthening, at a pace that suits you. More on joint pain.
Morning stiffness that takes an hour to wear off, and the ache from standing at the bench. Usually treated with gentle mobilisation. More on back pain.
Strength, ankle and hip mobility and confidence all feed into balance, and all three can be worked on. Prevention beats recovery here.
Regaining range, strength and normal walking once the surgical team is happy for you to progress. We work alongside your surgeon’s instructions.
Not being able to get a hand behind your back or up to a high shelf. Often rotator cuff related and often improvable.
If you are hurt in a fall at home, the injury is usually covered by ACC and we lodge the claim for you. Early treatment after a fall matters more in your eighties than it did in your forties.
Cover and cost
Injuries from a fall, a trip on a kerb or an accident in the garden are usually covered by ACC, and claimable here without a GP referral. We lodge the claim at your first appointment. Arthritis and age-related wear are not accidents, so they are not ACC, but Southern Cross members can use Easy-Claim for osteopathy and massage.
Who treats it
Usually one main practitioner with a second added when it would help, rather than four appointments a week.
Gentle joint mobilisation and soft tissue work to free up stiff hips, backs and shoulders. No high-velocity technique unless it is genuinely appropriate, and never without asking.
Strength and balance work, falls prevention and rehabilitation after joint replacement. Progressive strengthening works at eighty; it is simply started lower and built more slowly.
Fine-needle treatment for muscle and joint pain, alongside your usual medical care.
Eases chronic muscular tension and stiffness, helps you relax, and is often the appointment people look forward to most.
What treatment changes
It will not reverse arthritis, rebuild cartilage or undo forty years of wear. Anyone promising that is selling something. What it aims to do is help you keep moving, at a pace that suits you.
That is not a small thing. The difference between walking to the shops and not walking to the shops is the difference between staying independent and gradually not being. Most of our older patients come in for maintenance every few weeks for exactly that reason.
Between appointments
Strength is the single biggest protector against falls, and it responds to training at any age. Sit to stand from a dining chair ten times, twice a day, does more than most things we could hand you on a printout.
Walk on the beach or the Orewa estuary path where the surface is even, and keep it regular rather than heroic. Little and often beats one long walk that leaves you sore for three days.
Look at the house as well: loose mats, poor lighting on the stairs, a bathroom without a rail. Most falls we see afterwards were predictable beforehand.
Your first visit
Unhurried, and entirely at your pace. Bring someone with you if you would rather.
What hurts, what you have had done, what medication you are on, and most importantly what you want to be able to do again.
How you stand, walk and move, done at whatever pace suits. We stop if anything is uncomfortable.
Gentle hands-on treatment in a position you are comfortable in, sitting up if lying flat does not suit you.
One or two things to do at home, written down, and an honest view of how often you need to come back.
Common questions
Anything else? Call 09 444 3231.
Visiting us
| Monday – Friday | 8:00am – 7:00pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 10:00am – 5:00pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday – Thursday | 7:00am – 7:00pm |
|---|---|
| Friday | 7:00am – 6:00pm |
| Saturday | 10:00am – 5:00pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Related conditions
Book online at Orewa or Glenfield, or call 09 444 3231 — we are happy to talk it through first.
