DAY-BREAK GERIATRIC MASSAGE INSTITUTE
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Our Training Programs    

Our Training Programs  are designed to give you the information you need to tailor your skills, enhance your career, and provide to you the Continuing Education Units required to help keep your licensing current in your state or community.  Day-Break pioneered the tailoring of a massage sequence to meet the needs of the aging population.  Day-Break also was the first (and may still be the only) to offer curriculum approved by and registered with the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB). 

We proudly offer the following programs:


         - Level 1 Workshop
         - Level 2 Workshop
         - Medications Awareness
         - Symposium Experience

Workshop Schedules:  

​All Level 1 & 2 Workshops are over the weekends, conveniently starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday so you have time to decompress from work and eat dinner before we begin. 


          FRIDAY:        6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
          SATURDAY:   9:00 am – 5:00 pm
          SUNDAY:      9:00 am – 5:00 pm
​



Level 1 Geriatric Massage Workshop Description:
 
This 2-1/2 day weekend workshop is the basis of our training program in Geriatric Massage.  It offers 18 CE hours for massage therapists and qualifies for the Level 1 Certificate in Geriatric Massage.  By helping participants to gain insight into meaningful work with the elderly, the therapist who likes to work with seniors is put on the path to a massage career that is emotionally satisfying without being physically draining.

The Workshop Features These Topics:

       - Physiological, psychological & sociological aspects of aging.
       - Client assessment, cautions & contraindications, psychological aspects of contact with the elderly,
          and proper medical intake & assessment of the older client

       - Modification of standard massage techniques and the development of methods to suit each client’s
          special needs
       - Development of clinical reasoning in the hands-on modification of techniques

       - Practical hands-on work with older people who volunteer to be a part of our training sessions
       - Establishing a Geriatric Massage practice, including marketing to senior facilities, referral sources,
          and finding active seniors in the community at large​
​


​Level 2 Advanced Geriatric Massage Workshop Description:
​

This 2-1/2 day weekend workshop is the next level in our training program in Geriatric Massage.  It offers 18 CE hours for massage therapists and qualifies for the Level 2 Certificate in Geriatric Massage. There are two hands-on sessions: one in a Long Term Care or Assisted Living Facility, working directly with resident volunteers. The second hands-on session is in an Alzheimer’s unit.

Prerequisite: Must have attended the Level 1 Geriatric Massage Workshop within the last (2) years.

The Workshop Features These Topics:

       - Review of medical terminology and symptoms of the most prevailing age-related health problems
          and how to select approaches to the diverse afflictions of old age

       - Cautions in the positioning of challenged clients in hospital beds, standard beds, wheelchairs,
          and geriatric chairs
       - 
Specific approaches to massaging people challenged with stroke, diabetes, Parkinson’s,
          dementia/Alzheimer, arthritis, and those who may be wheelchair- or bed-bound
       - 
In-depth information on the most common age-related health problems and how to work
          specifically with each, as well as cautions and contraindications


After the Workshop, You Will Be Able To:

       - Choose proper techniques for working under the direction of a prescribing physician, but without
          the need for direct supervision

       - Determine how to appropriately work with clients who have various degrees of age-related health
          and mobility problems

       - Be familiar with working in an Assisted Living Facility or Nursing Home​​


​
​Medications Awareness Course Description:

This 2-1/2 day weekend lecture & discussion workshop will introduce massage therapists to the basics of pharmacology, and discuss guidelines and considerations for manual therapy practice on those clients taking medications.  The ideal audience for this course includes massage therapists working with the senior population, massage therapy educators & clinical supervisors, and hospital based & general massage therapy practitioners.  Your Guest Speaker is Randal Persad, MEd, RMT, Educator, Author, and former Pharmacist.  He brings over 30 years of experience in the health care profession.

After the Workshop, You Will:

       - Appreciate and have a general understanding of the language of pharmacology
       - Appreciate the variety of prescribed medications and over-the-counter preparations
       - Describe factors related to drugs that could influence the outcome of a massage assessment
          and treatment 

       - Plan and adapt a massage treatment for a client taking medications and be able to justify
          that treatment

       - Recommend safe hydrotherapy and rehabilitation exercises for a client taking medications
       - Adapt techniques to work effectively around injection sites, implanted devices. and skin patches
       - Communicate confidently about medications with members of the health care profession
       - Comprehend the varied drugs used for pain and inflammation, and the emerging use of 
          
Cannabis amid the elderly population​
​


​Symposium Experience:
​

Early on in the life of the Geriatric Massage Project we began to realize that our approach to Geriatric Massage, successful as it was, could only gain by the inclusion of other hands-on modalities which would be suitable for our work with older people.  Modalities such as Trager, Lymphatic, and Energy work.  The idea of inviting interested therapists and experts in suitable approaches to Geriatric Massage led to the birth of a week-long Symposium where students could learn to beautifully weave multiple modalities together to better serve their aging clients.  This Symposium was held in quaint retreat centers which enabled us all to absorb information in a relaxing and beautiful environment, while increasing our skill set and forming lasting relationships with fellow students and instructors.  The Symposium is offered less frequently than our main curriculum workshops, but is well worth the wait!

Looking forward to seeing you at a Day-Break Geriatric Massage Workshop soon!


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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • STAFF
    • HISTORY
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • CALENDAR
  • EDUCATION
    • COURSES
    • C.E. PROVIDERS
  • CONTACT US