I Hate to "Coif" on a Tangent Here, But Are You Feeling OK?

Hairdressers, according to an Ohio State University researcher of gerontology, may be in a particularly good position to help identify developing medical or mental health problems in their elderly clients.

The potential benefit to the well-being of their clients is rooted in the quality of the interpersonal relationships developed between stylist and client over the course of several annual visits over many years combined with varying degrees of isolation that the elderly may experience.

Of the Columbus, Ohio, area hair stylists surveyed by assistant professor Keith Anderson, a majority described their relationships with loyal, returning clients as close; many described their relationships as being akin to family.

And while Anderson is not prepared to impose responsibilities on salon professionals that go beyond the hard work involved in helping us to achieve fabulousness, his study did confirm the close social ties that develop in the salon.

As Anderson observes in the OSU press release:

“This is one reason why I think hair stylists are especially suited to seeing problems in their customers. Their older clients may sit in a chair for an hour or longer while they’re having their hair done, and this may happen once or twice a month. So stylists are in a good position to recognize when things change with a client, and when they may need help.”

Further, nearly half of the stylists indicated interest in receiving some mental health training; about two-thirds indicated that if they felt that one of their clients was in need of assistance, they would be willing to assist with a reference to appropriate services if they knew where to send them.

The sizable portion of those who would help but who don't know to whom to turn quickly for assistance represents a potential opportunity for early assistance with problems ranging from dementia to depression.

And this would not be the first time salon professionals saved more than a bad hair day. As pointed out by the OSU press release, the Cut It Out national campaign has been put in place to assist in identifying and assisting clients suffering from domestic abuse.

Image courtesy of Louis Calvete, via Wikimedia Commons