As Europeans celebrate ever more solid anniversaries, experts point out another important aspect: we should not only enjoy increasing life expectancy, but also the longest possible quality of life. And that, of course, goes hand in hand with our physical and emotional well-being. As we move towards a better quality of life, not only advanced methods of treatment, but also methods of disease prevention are becoming increasingly important. The country’s oldest health resort, Druskininkai, is also keeping pace with today’s needs.

Although the effects of the different treatments vary, the overall aim is to stimulate the body’s responses, which in a way train and adapt it to changing conditions, and at the same time activate healing processes, increase resistance to disease and help to slow down the ageing process.

“With all our treatments, we aim to reconnect with nature and strengthen the connection between the mind and the body. Thus, not only the body itself and the motor system are affected, but also the thoughts, feelings and sensations of the person,” explained Arvydas Balčius, the medical director of the Draugystės Sanatorium.

One of the unique features of the Draugystės sanatorium is that it produces the saltiest mineral water in Druskininkai, with a mineral content of about 60 g per litre. This water is used for health purposes in a variety of ways, mainly in therapeutic baths.

“One of the differences between fresh and mineral water baths is that the latter provides up to one and a half times more heat to the body. In addition, the salts have a soothing effect on the nerve endings in the skin, inhibiting pain receptors. Peat mud treatments have a similar effect – we also mix it with mineral water and use it successfully for applications,” he says.

In addition to mineral water and mud treatments, the health programmes also include therapeutic exercises, various therapies, massages, and the latest state-of-the-art physiotherapy equipment used in the sanatorium is effective in relieving pain, improving blood circulation, stimulating muscle growth and more.

As one of the favourite treatments for elderly patients, Mr Balčius singled out therapeutic exercises in the swimming pool, high mineralisation baths, as well as the floatation capsule.

According to Kęstutis Ramanauskas, Head of Druskininkai Health and Recreation Centre AQUA, a division of Druskininkai Doctor’s Clinic, elderly people complain more often of chronic diseases, so the most important task of the resort’s health institutions is to help alleviate the already existing ailments and at the same time to ensure a longer quality of life.

“The rehabilitation provided in our spa includes mineral and mud baths, various massages, physiotherapy and other procedures – we aim to ensure that the person receives both comprehensive treatment and preventive measures,” he says.

According to Ramanauskas, exercise in the mineral water pool is also particularly popular among the elderly patients of the spa, where the temperature reaches 32-33 degrees of heat, which is 4-5 degrees higher than the hygienic norm for swimming pools. The warmer pool allows muscles and ligaments to relax more quickly, increases range of movement and makes stretching exercises easier.

According to the interlocutor, in recent years there has been a tendency in Druskininkai to see a significant increase in the number of clients coming for outpatient medical rehabilitation for 10-14 days with a certificate from the Territorial Patients’ Fund. After such intensive rehabilitation programmes, patients can enjoy really effective results.

“Our profile includes musculoskeletal disorders, disorders of the nervous system, the circulatory system, the digestive system and endocrine diseases. Doctors pay more attention to patients suffering from such ailments, as some procedures may not be recommended in the case of concomitant diseases, and the course of treatment is therefore internalised,” he pointed out.

The head of the Druskininkai health resort was pleased that more and more people are discovering the benefits of the spa treatment, with regular clients coming at least once a year: “Patients themselves admit that after the spa treatment they feel more energetic, as if they have been rejuvenated by a few years, and they are glad to see that their pain is gone. Research also confirms that such periodic treatments have a long-lasting effect, helping to combat ailments and reduce the use of medicines”.

K. Ramanauskas is echoed by the representatives of Eglė Sanatorium – a significant part of the older guests here are long-term clients, and the majority of seniors come to the sanatorium not only two or more times a year, but also for a longer period of 5-7 days of health recovery.

Speaking about why, especially for the elderly, valuable sanatorium health care is becoming more and more relevant, Dr Kęstutis Skauminas, the medical director of Eglė Sanatorium, notes that society’s goal is not just to live longer, but to have a healthy lifespan, more years of active life, and that is why people are looking for help, professional advice, and a complex of services.

“Increasingly, people want to find a way to solve their problems through natural means rather than drugs and surgery. Sanatorium treatment, based on natural factors and old traditions integrated into modern medicine, offers just such a solution,” he says.

The sanatorium treatment programmes at Eglė Sanatorium are individualised according to the state of health. “The client first goes to the doctor for a consultation. Health complaints are discussed and the most appropriate treatments are selected – and there are more than 100 of them at Eglė Sanatorium. Many years of experience have shown that this is the way to achieve the best result,” said K. Skauminas