ElderHeal

10/11/2025

Aged care is a business. And it's failing.

This is a personal story, and still brings up so many emotions.

This photo is of my beloved Mum and me about a decade & half ago.

Her last months on this earth were in aged care.
She and all residents receive NO touch, except for basic needs and standard routines like washing, giving meals etc.

Babies die without touch.
Elderly wither away, physically, emotionally and spiritually without therapeutic touch.

Therapeutic touch, comforting touch, mindful healing touch – provides not only healing of pain and discomfort, but offers feeling of connection, safety, sense of being a part of a community.

We are social creatures.
Sometimes solice is fine and good.
For the elderly, it slowly kills them.

Read my story about me, mum and ElderHeal.
🔗My Story:
https://jennyelenihealth.com/elderlycare/mystory

🔗Learning ElderHeal-Touch Therapies for elder care:
https://jennyelenihealth.com/elderheal

(I'll soon write another lengthier, much more detailed and very candid article about all that occurred, uncover more about our broken system in aged care in Melbourne. At least from my eyes and experience.)

Enjoy my blog.
There are other one's there.

Love,
Jenny🕊️

08/11/2025

Open facial expression, kind and friendly voice tone, eye contact - creates social connection and safety.
This is science.
This is based on the work of Stephen Porges' Polyvagal theory.

This is important and so very needed for our elderly - many whom have little connection, little touch and feel vulnerable.

During a healing session with ElderHeal, almost the entire session, is with the client facing the practitioner. This can be done seated or lying supine on a massage table. This is the perfect opportunity to cultivate
vental vagal tone.
Increasing vagal tone upregulates the nervous system.
You client or loved one feel safe, feels noticed, feels they are part of something, feels seen.

Applying the touch techniques, with intermittent acknowledgement of the face, smiling, eye contact, voice tonation - has a deeper healing effect.

Try it.

–––––––––––––-

Warmly,

Jenny 🕊️

–––––––––––––
ElderHeal: Touch therapies for the wellbeing of our elders.

🔗 https://jennyelenihealth.com/elderheal

👀I'll be setting new 2026 dates for the next Elderheal weekend course soon.

It all depends on YOU and your commitment to learn.

👉Please register your interest in the weekend course for ElderHeal, by sending me an email:
📧 hello@jennyelenihealth.com

A group of 4 is the minimum number!
📍In Melbourne.

–––––––––––––––––

08/11/2025

Hands-on on the neck goes deep..

Most elderly will have weakening or perhaps atrophy of muscles, weakening of bones, dehydrated soft tissues, reduced lubrication in joint, brain fog, headaches, and the list could go on. Some of these factors are inevitable as one ages (loss of bone mass etc.) where others were never the norm (cognitive decline).

Applying gentle manoeuvres (of which I teach) at the base of the neck especially, can soothe the autonomic nervous system, induce relaxation, ease anxiety and stress, and of course, improve neck + head movement too which helps brain health (more blood flow to brain).

Often, we might focus hands-on healing on their hands, feet and back, perhaps upper back, and rub rub, rub. This is great. But, there are very special, specific areas that deserve attention and gentle, mindful touches to achieve the desired outcome.

Many elderly, whether at home or in assisted living, nursing homes, or hospitals, are under chronic stress, feel anxious and have a disregulated autonomic nervous system.

You, we, they - practitioners can help them tremendously with just a few simple techniques - of which I can teach you - to ease and calm the nervous system.

Additionally, you will help to reduce pain, and inflammation, and bring overall more alertness to their state of being.

I'm passionate about helping our elderly age with dignity and grace and as little pain and suffering as possible.

Final thoughts..
We're all going to get there some day, and we are all going to depart this physical world someday (and perhaps it's already written in our soul contract) – why not help each other get there a little more gently and with a lot more TOUCH.

––––––––
ElderHeal: Touch therapies for the wellbeing of our elders.

🔗 https://jennyelenihealth.com/elderheal/

👀I'll be setting new 2026 dates for the next Elderheal weekend course soon.

It all depends on YOU and your commitment to learn.

👉Please register your interest in the weekend course for ElderHeal, by sending me an email:
📧 hello@jennyelenihealth.com

A group of 4 is the minimum number!
📍In Melbourne.

Warmly,
Jenny 🕊️

30/09/2025

We were told that animal fats caused heart disease & vegetable oils were the antidote. It was a fat load of nonsense. Discover the dirty truth about 'healthy vegetable oils'.

30/09/2025

Important.

Some doctors say you can't reverse dementia because you can't bring damaged neurons back to life. Read how Lea Nelson achieved the miracle and how you can, too.

16/09/2025

Sometimes its the obvious that's not obvious. 😊

Even though I've been preparing for a different hands-on healing workshop (), that focuses on the face, I am always thinking about how important face-to-face connection is for our elderly in their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

A smile says to them - I'm safe, I'm connected to others, I am seen, I belong, I matter, I am worthy of an acknowledging smile!

This is especially true of some who might have cognitive decline, where they have feelings of isolation, fear and confusion – when you smile, albeit briefly - their mirror neurons will then cause them to mirror your action and sincere smiley state.

Sometimes the simplest things, simply work deeper than we know.

Warmly,

Jenny 🕊️

https://jennyelenihealth.com/elderheal

14/09/2025

Indeed- whats happened to the respect for elders?

14/08/2025

👂🌼

Why Hearing Stimulation Matters 👂

• Keeps the Brain Active
Hearing sounds (especially familiar ones) stimulates the auditory pathways in the brain, keeping them engaged and slowing cognitive decline.

• Supports Emotional Memory
Music, voices, and sounds tied to positive memories can trigger emotional responses, helping people reconnect with their past and feel more grounded.

• Reduces Frustration and Isolation
When hearing is poor, people can feel left out, confused, or overwhelmed. Supporting hearing helps them stay involved, reducing emotional distress.

• Promotes Communication
Better hearing means better understanding—and that builds stronger conversations, even if verbal communication is limited.

• Improves Mood and Sleep
Familiar, calming sounds can lower anxiety and agitation, promoting relaxation and better sleep.

14/08/2025

Beautifully said. Thank you Daniela.🌸🙏

“Why don’t people hug us more as we get older?”

There are several emotional and societal reasons this happens—none of which make it right.

💔 Why it happens:

Ageism and invisibility

Older adults are often treated as if they are less in need of affection, touch, or connection. Society tends to focus on youth and overlooks the emotional needs of the elderly.

Fear of physical fragility
People might worry that a hug will hurt or overwhelm an older person, especially if they have mobility issues or frailty—even when a gentle hug is perfectly safe and welcome.

Discomfort with ageing
Some people avoid physical closeness with older adults because it reminds them of their own ageing or mortality. This fear is rarely acknowledged, but it’s real.

Loneliness and isolation
As people age, they may lose spouses, close friends, or even become estranged from family. Their social circles shrink, and so do their opportunities for affection.

Cultural or generational differences
Some older adults grew up in cultures or families where physical affection wasn’t common—so they may not initiate it, even if they deeply crave it.

💖 But here’s the truth:

Touch is healing.

A hug can say “I see you,” “I care,” and “You still matter.”

Whether it’s a hand on the shoulder, a warm embrace, or simply sitting close—affection remains essential at every age.

If you work in aged care or simply love someone older, don’t underestimate the power of a gentle hug. Sometimes, it's the most human thing we can offer.

08/08/2025

More touch please, for our elderly.
This is biology (too).

According to science, there's a natural decline in sensory perception as one ages - yes, healthy ageing too, in different degrees.

This includes touch sensation & perception of touch. The central nervous system changes with a healthy ageing brain, around 8th or 9th decade. There's a slowing down (whether that is super subtle in or strong) of processing of stimuli.

A down-regulation occurs in CNS processing of sensory perception - to and from the brain.

According to science, in the aged, they have diminished quantity of sensory axons, therefore, they need greater stimulus strength to recruit certain number of sensory axons (of which respond to stimulus like TOUCH).

Essentially, as your loved one ages, he/she needs even more (tactile) stimulation to be aware of the sensation!

In touch therapies:
Does this mean go harder?
Not necessarily.
Does this mean, make the treatments longer?
Not necessarily.
What is necessary is that the aged simply require more touch stimulus to have the sensation awareness that produces all those feel good chemicals & all the physiological benefits touch therapy can produce.

It means that a paradigm shift needs to happen here for the elderly - especially in aged care home where touch is not minimal, but non-existent. It means, that, with this knowledge, the practitioner is even more mindful, more intentional, more aware of not only the individual need for healing touch in a treatment, but it's literally biology.

Touch more. (they) Sense More. Heal deeper.

As their body is changing, down-regulating to an extent, less density of sensory receptors. less blood flow, less neural firing - it's even more critical to provide healing touch therapies for the touch deprived elderly.

Love,

Jenny 🕊️

🔗 https://jennyelenihealth.com/elderheal



P.S.
[I'm not one to subscribe to the doom and gloom, the fear and exaggeration of perils of ageing- I don't buy it. However, at some point, our body-suits will age - well or not well, fast or slow, up to the individual. This post is, rather, to highlight touch for elderly. 😊 ]
I digress!

19/07/2025

🙏💕💕💕

"It was mum's fault!" 🧡 She’s the reason I do this!
Just in case you missed my story on how I specialised in this rewarding field: massagefordementia.co.uk/spread-dementia-awareness
To all my followers both old & new ... a warm welcome to you and a HUGE THANK YOU for supporting & following my work.
Your support helps build a society where dementia is met with understanding, not fear.

17/05/2025

This one can be a challenging one in manual therapies/ healing work.
To "see" the other as whole whilst the physical body is presenting quite the opposite can take practice.

The healer is there to bring out the healing that already lives in the body; to see wholeness, not sickness. The healee feels this.

See the other as whole, not broken.

Warmly,
Jenny

https://jennyelenihealth.com/elderheal