Older adults' utilisation of a student naturopathic clinic in Auckland, New Zealand

Objectives

New Zealand has experienced an increase in the use of traditional and complementary medicine treatment modalities, such as that of naturopathy. Limited research exists that has examined older aged New Zealanders utilisation of naturopathic treatment modalities. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to provide a demographic profile of older adults who attended a student naturopathic clinic over a 2-year period. A secondary aim was to identity the symptoms or conditions for which treatment was sought.

Methods

De-identified data were collected for 76 older-aged (>65 years) clients, 28 male and 48 female clients aged between 65 and 88 years of age (71 ± 5.8).

Results

The majority of older aged clients who attended the clinic, were female, in the young-old age group (65–74 years of age) and identified as being New Zealand European. Treatment was predominately sought for chronic health conditions, such as constipation, chronic pain, and arthritis.

Conclusions

The older aged clients in our study were predominately seeking naturopathic treatment for the management of their chronic health conditions.