You Are Never Too Old to Stay in Shape
It is not unusual for older adults to leave out physical exercise in their daily routine. Joints become stiff and activities decrease as we get older and exercise does not sound like much fun. By the age of 75, over half of seniors have no physical activity at all. Developing a sustainable exercise program for seniors is an important part of being a home caregiver.
How to Begin
If there are no physical therapists involved with your patient's care, make sure to get the approval of the family and family physician before beginning a program. Underlying issues may exist that can harm a patient from certain types of movement. However, most physicians highly recommend some form of exercise in order to keep blood flowing. Once you have the green light for creating an exercise program for your consistent senior care recipient, take these facts into account:
- Your patient may not be interested in an exercise program
- Your patient may be depressed
- Your patient may be afraid of pain and injury with movement
This is where you can pull your weight in gold. Make exercise with senior companionship a time to look forward to. Show them how exercise can be nothing more than flexing toes, stretching necks or shrugging shoulders. To generate interest, create an atmosphere that is soothing and include lovely music that is a senior's favorite. Before long, your senior will be looking forward to exercise time.
Keep it Simple
The main point of moving parts of your body is to stretch, increase blood flow and achieve better balance. Depending on how strong or how fragile your patient is will dictate how much movement is considered. For example:
1. Toe Taps - Sit in a chair with feet flat on the floor. Raise the toes of both feet as far as possible while keeping the heels on the floor. This strengthens the lower leg and increases blood flow.
2. Neck Stretch - Look straight ahead while sitting in a chair. Turn your head slightly to the right and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the left side. This improves range of motion and makes reaching more comfortable.
3. Ankle Rotations - Sit in a chair and raise one foot in the air. Slowly turn the foot clockwise, then counter-clockwise. Repeat with the other foot. This will strengthen the calves to improve walking plus increase blood flow.
Exercise Helps with Depression
Studies conducted over the past 20 years indicate that exercise as opposed to clinical antidepressants has had a positive effect on the life span of seniors. Even with around the clock care, physical activity in depressed elderly proved to have positive effects as opposed to antidepressants. Your part as a caregiver is to try to increase the overall health through different means made available to you. Diet, sleep, cleanliness and precise medications are not the only basic needs of senior patients.
A home caregiver can make all the difference in the world to a senior that feels tired and worthless. Create an exercise time that is upbeat, simple and designed according to the senior's ability to perform. A companion care program can help a senior feel alive in conquering small activities and having fun too.