Even if your elderly family member has never found exercise to be fun in the past, that doesn’t mean she can’t have fun with it now. There are a few ways that you can make all of that a lot easier on her and make sure that she’s as safe as possible, as well.
Start with Easy Balance Exercises
Balance exercises do so much more for your elderly family member than she might expect. As your senior ages, she loses a bit of the balance and flexibility that help her to move easily and safely through her day. Exercises that help her to rebuild her balance can also help her to get to a point where she can try more ambitious exercise programs. Most types of these exercises have simplified formats that allow your senior to start wherever her ability levels are.
Find Something Your Senior Loves to Do
When your elderly family member is engaging in activities that she loves, that’s going to make a huge difference for her. Whether she loves to dance, swim, or garden, there are modifications you can make to those activities that account for her current abilities and that keep her safe but allow her to move and gain the benefits of the activity.
Consistency Is Super Important
What really helps exercise to pay off for your elderly family member is for her to be as consistent as she can be about keeping herself moving. Starting and stopping often means that she’s going to have to keep working hard to get back to the progress she achieved last time. It’s much better for her to go slowly now and to stay consistent. She’ll get the benefits and she’ll see progress. That’s going to help her both physically and mentally.
Find Assistive Devices for Specific Activities
There may be more assistive devices for certain activities than your elderly family member things. She can certainly use her own, especially if she needs them all the time. A cane helps her to walk whether that’s from one room to another or around the block for exercise. But if she doesn’t already rely on a cane regularly, she may find that tools used by hikers could be helpful. Look for tools that make whatever activity she’s doing easier.
The main safety requirement to keep in mind is that your elderly family member shouldn’t be pushing herself so hard during exercise that she injures herself. If she doesn’t have an exercise buddy she can work out with, it might be a good idea to have elderly care providers available to offer companionship and to keep an eye on what’s going on.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in Lone Tree, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare today at 303-953-9924.
