Helping a Loved One Stay Active at Home

Staying active is a crucial element of a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. For seniors, maintaining an active lifestyle is particularly important due to its numerous benefits for aging individuals. Regular physical activity can help prevent serious health issues such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, heart disease, and more. Moreover, staying active significantly boosts mental health, reducing the risk of depression, anxiety, stress, and cognitive decline.

However, if a gym or fitness center is not conveniently located nearby, staying active can be challenging, especially during colder months when outdoor activities like walking or biking aren’t feasible. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to help your senior loved ones remain active within the comfort of their own home. Here are a few suggestions:

Chair Exercises

Conducting a quick online search for chair exercises can provide a list of safe and effective workouts your loved one can perform at home. Chair exercises are beneficial as they focus on strengthening specific areas of the body. These strengthening routines help combat muscle weakness and reduce the risk of falls.

Walking Breaks

Sitting for long periods of time is detrimental to individuals of all ages, as a sedentary lifestyle can result in health issues and discomfort. If your loved one spends most of their day at a computer, reading, or watching TV, encourage them to take “walking breaks” every 20 to 30 minutes. Set reminders on your phone to ensure you don’t forget. During these breaks, join your loved one for a brief walk around the house or yard.

Daily Cleaning and Chores

Did you know that household chores and cleaning can burn calories and benefit heart health? This form of exercise allows your loved one to complete helpful tasks while staying active. Encourage them to engage in one or two safe chores daily to ensure regular movement. Some excellent options include sweeping, cleaning mirrors or windows, folding laundry, and loading the dishwasher. Always prioritize safety by avoiding activities that could increase the risk of falls, such as mopping with a wet mop or reaching for high places.

Add Stretches to the Morning Routine

Adding stretches to the morning routine can help seniors stay flexible and improve posture and mobility which can help prevent falls. A great time for seniors to fit in their morning stretches is right after breakfast. You can help your senior loved ones determine the best stretches to add to their routine based on their physical ability. They should never take on stretches that cause pain or discomfort or are beyond their physical ability.

The following are the benefits of daily stretches for seniors:

• Improved flexibility: Stretching improves and maintains flexibility which allows seniors to move around safely and with confidence.
• Reduced risk of injury: The improved balance and stability from daily stretches helps reduce the risk of falls and injuries.
• Improved circulation: Stretching improves circulation by getting the blood flowing which also can increase energy levels.
• Reduced muscle soreness and stiffness: Seniors can prevent sore muscles and stay loose with regular stretches.
• Improved posture: Improved posture from stretching can help prevent issues related to poor posture.
• Reduced stress: Stretching regularly can help clear the mind and reduce stress.
• Improved mobility: Seniors who stretch often may experience an improvement in mobility which makes it easier and safer to move around on their own.
• Improved breathing: Stretching can improve breathing which helps get more oxygen to the brain, heart, and blood.

Gardening

Gardening is a popular activity among seniors, and it involves a healthy amount of physical activity. To plant and maintain a garden, seniors must engage in light physical activities such as bending down, digging, and pulling. The walk between the back door, garden, and shed or garage to get tools and supplies also adds to the physical nature of gardening.

It is important for seniors to avoid overexerting themselves when gardening. Those who have difficulty bending down may consider using a pillow or chair and it may be best to have someone else move heavy bags of soil and fertilizer. During the winter, seniors can maintain plants or an indoor garden in the home to stay active.

Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts not only allow seniors to explore their creativity and express themselves, but also provide a great way to stay active in the home. Many arts and crafts activities require a certain level of concentration and use of the hands which can help seniors refine and maintain their motor skills. A wide range of arts and crafts activities, from drawing and painting to knitting and even playing an instrument can be done in the home any time of year.

Caring for a Pet

Adopting and caring for a pet can improve a senior’s emotional well-being and help keep them active. Regardless of what pet your senior loved ones choose, caring for and interacting with the pet requires a level of physical activity to play with them, pet them, and feed them. Seniors who adopt dogs can increase their physical activity by taking their dog on regular walks.

Hosting Family and Friends

Another great way for seniors to be active at home is to regularly host family and friends. There are many benefits to hosting social gatherings as seniors get to spend more time with those they love, and the planning and hosting can help keep them physically active. Before the gathering, seniors may prepare food and decorate the home and during the gathering, they are likely on their feet serving food and drinks and visiting with their guests.

Home Care from Assisting Hands

Staying active in the home is important for seniors to help improve and maintain their physical and emotional health. Seniors can choose from the activities listed above that they find enjoyable and are also within their physical ability. It also helps for seniors to have a family member or caregiver nearby that can provide assistance and make sure they stay safe while being active.

At Assisting Hands Home Care, we provide senior home care for seniors who want to age in place but need personal care and assistance to do so safely. We will start by evaluating the care needs of your loved ones so we can create a care plan that best accommodates their needs. Our caregivers will not only take care of their personal needs, but also ensure their safety while they stay active and help with certain activities like meal preparation and light housekeeping.

Give us a call at (214) 760-6944 for more about how our home care services can help seniors in Coppell, TX | Dallas, TX | Highland Park, TX | Richardson, TX | University Park, TX and the surrounding areas.