GERONTOLOGY SPECIALIST
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Image, left: Mom still enjoyed bicycling at 90 years of age, despite being legally blind due to advanced macular degeneration (AMD)! Image, above: Mom still enjoyed working out at Planet Fitness, this image taken when she was 95 years old!
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Although she was legally blind due to AMD, with my dad having passed years earlier, my mom remained steadfast in independently maintaining a regular gym schedule well into her early 90s, taking the senior bus in Russellville, KY to the Carpenter Center to lift weights 2x/week and to swim once/week. On Leg Day, mom typically used a weight resistance of 190 lbs! and performed a few sets, up to 15 repetitions per set. There were male gym patrons 10 years her junior, who could not match her strength and stamina! They initially thought she was confused when she instructed them how much weight to set on the leg press, since she couldn't see where to put the pin. She never had issues with pain, since she performed a daily stretching routine that I provided.
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The senior challenge / protecting assets (financial and health)
Gerontology (optimizing the health, physical abilities and physical independence of the elderly) is one of my top specialties. Probably 30 of my 39 years of clinical experience (between my work at skilled nursing facilities, house calls, and acute care hospitals) has been invested in optimizing the physical independence of the advanced elderly patient demographic. I typically treated patients from their mid-80s up through the age of 104 (patient still attended church on a weekly basis, and was still walking, even waiting her turn in the communion line!). Why risk experiencing premature senescence and risk dementia when a stronger and more resilient body would protect your retirement savings and quality of life for many years to come? Why disconnect from your church faith family, community and circle of friends by accepting an alternative living arrangement (assisted living or skilled nursing facility) when you very likely have good potential to remain independent?
my clinical approach is different
Even if you have had physical therapy before, I can make a difference, due to the fact that I am more (prudently) aggressive and insightful into the special physical needs of the advanced elderly population. I am accustomed to getting my clients to a much higher functional and physically independent lifestyle, because my clinical style if prudently aggressive, along with a professional rapport based upon client trust in my extensive knowledge base and 39 years of clinical experience. You may have been cut off from Medicare or other insurance coverage. Although I specialize in private clients, I can design an an individualized treatment regimen within most budgets. So, if you, or someone you know, might benefit from my gerontological expertise, please call and discover all of your options!
Cost analysis of alternative living arrangements vs. staying at home
Especially after insurance and Medicare have stopped covering Home Care, I can provide expeditious options to facilitate a higher level of physical recovery based upon my greater degree of training and 39 years of clinical experience, and this included treating centenarians and super-centenarians who were able to live a modified-independent lifestyle upon completion of treatment . The average cost of a semi-private room at a skilled nursing facility costs $9,200-9,800 per month ($111,000-118,000/year) and this semi-private option comes with the inherent increased risk of contracting nosocomial (community-based) infections from your roommate. Even if you are somewhat more independent and can transition first to an assisted living facility, that annual cost ranges from 65K-71K.
So, when considering that at this point of the life continuum (unless proper legal planning has been arranged many years in advance) the only recourse is to experience a near total spin-down in the value of one's estate. The better financial alternative, (which also results in a more confident and physically independent lifestyle) would be the strategically timed medical intervention by a gerontology expert in rehabilitation medicine that can not only be life-saving, but protective of your financial assets as well.
So, when considering that at this point of the life continuum (unless proper legal planning has been arranged many years in advance) the only recourse is to experience a near total spin-down in the value of one's estate. The better financial alternative, (which also results in a more confident and physically independent lifestyle) would be the strategically timed medical intervention by a gerontology expert in rehabilitation medicine that can not only be life-saving, but protective of your financial assets as well.
neuroplastic potential optimized
Maybe Cher can't "(If I Could) Turn Back Time," but I can. It is typically held that the average neuroplastic potential is one year post-injury. By contrast, I have been able to turn the clock back several years for most of my clients. Even for those clients of advanced age (my oldest client was 104 years old when I made house calls to her, allowing her to continue attending church on Sundays with her son, and she had the stamina to wait and walk in the communion procession as she did not require handicap seating arrangements). There is often untapped potential that professionally trained eyes can elicit*.
Balance Disorders
There are a variety of factors that can impair normal balance, leading to increased falls amongst the senior population. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) can severely impair balance due to canaliths (otoliths) becoming mal-positioned within the semi-circular canals of the inner ear. Fortunately, there are specialized physical therapy techniques that are very effective in typically providing prompt and lasting resolution of both these symptoms and their underlying cause. Other factors that can cause the gait aberrations that increase the risk of senior fall risk include a slow gait speed (due to weakness, lack of muscular flexibility, pain, decreased coordination, etc.). Patients who have diminished protective sensation in their feet due to peripheral neuropathy related to advanced age, diabetes, or former oncology patients who received chemotherapy; are all at an increased fall risk. I began using Anodyne Infrared Light Therapy when it was first introduced in 1994. This is a short term non-invasive and painless treatment (usually 2-3x/week for only a few weeks) that uses photo-biomodulation based upon a specific wavelength of the infrared light spectrum that facilitates neo-capillarization (the growth of new blood vessels) that provides a more optimal circulation and oxygenation of the local tissues which allows the peripheral nerves to heal and regain functional protective sensation. This helps restore the patient's sense of balance due to optimization of nerve signals that tell the nervous system about the patient's true spatial orientation, thereby facilitating normalization of fall risk.
How I am able to take a more intuitive and clinically effective perspective
My Myers-Briggs personality type is INFJ, which represents less than 1% of the global population. This allows me to promptly attune to my patients and to develop a very strong professional rapport; while giving me the ability to appreciate any emotional factors that may be affecting their confidence and ability to more fully participate in, and benefit from, a comprehensive and customized rehabilitation program. When I am providing treatment to a patient, they know that they have my full and undivided attention, and that I am fully vested in their well-being.
TESTIMONIAL from a schoolteacher regarding the physical therapy care that I provided to her elderly mother (house-calls):
"My 88-year-old mother suffered a stroke, and at first it appeared that she would have little mobility. But through Paul's competence, kindness, and gentle but firm insistence that she cooperate fully, he helped her to achieve a very high clinical outcome and provided her with a much higher quality of life ."
-Marilyn F.
"My 88-year-old mother suffered a stroke, and at first it appeared that she would have little mobility. But through Paul's competence, kindness, and gentle but firm insistence that she cooperate fully, he helped her to achieve a very high clinical outcome and provided her with a much higher quality of life ."
-Marilyn F.
TESTIMONIAL as a commendation letter (excerpted, but directly quoted) from corporate headquarters at one of the many skilled nursing facilities that I have worked at:
July 2nd, 2025
Dear Paul,
We are continually inspired by your unwavering dedication and exceptional service to our residents and their families. Your ongoing commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care has not only made a lasting impact but continues to set an incredible example for all of us.
Your actions reflect the core values that define our culture-heroic in your service, always working as part of a team, holding yourself accountable, and demonstrating compassion, respect, integrity, and positivity. We are so grateful for your continued excellence and for being a true embodiment of what we all strive to be. You are a vital part of our mission to care for those who cannot care for themselves and bring hope to those in need, especially during their most vulnerable moments.
You are a true hero, one of the few who understand the deep purpose behind this work. Your consistent willingness to serve another day inspires us all. Thank you for being a beacon of care and dedication - your contributions are truly invaluable.
With gratitude,
July 2nd, 2025
Dear Paul,
We are continually inspired by your unwavering dedication and exceptional service to our residents and their families. Your ongoing commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care has not only made a lasting impact but continues to set an incredible example for all of us.
Your actions reflect the core values that define our culture-heroic in your service, always working as part of a team, holding yourself accountable, and demonstrating compassion, respect, integrity, and positivity. We are so grateful for your continued excellence and for being a true embodiment of what we all strive to be. You are a vital part of our mission to care for those who cannot care for themselves and bring hope to those in need, especially during their most vulnerable moments.
You are a true hero, one of the few who understand the deep purpose behind this work. Your consistent willingness to serve another day inspires us all. Thank you for being a beacon of care and dedication - your contributions are truly invaluable.
With gratitude,
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E. Joseph Steier, III
President and Chief Executive Officer Signature Heatlhcare, LLC |
Tim Lehner
Chief Operating Officer |
Call 270-421-3164 today! to schedule a consultation with Paul J. Fransen, P.T.
If I am with a client, you will need to leave a Voicemail message (which will be immediately transcribed into text for my review).
Direct Text Messaging is another option. I am prompt in responding to inquiries.)