Why Is Exercise an Important Tool for Your Senior?

Exercise can and should be a big part of your elderly family member’s routine, but it’s important to understand why. It’s also vital that you talk with her doctor and make sure that she’s able to exercise and just what types of exercise are right for her.

Can Help to Reduce Her Blood Pressure

If your elderly family member has high blood pressure issues, exercise could be the answer. When even medication doesn’t seem to make a dent, moving a little bit more can be just what your senior needs. Walking is easy to do and it doesn’t take any special equipment to get her started.

Can Keep Her Joints Healthier

Joint issues can keep your elderly family member from moving as much as she should, but the lack of movement can ironically make the pain and discomfort worse. Getting started with even a mild exercise plan helps to lubricate joints and strengthens the muscles around them. Over time, she’ll notice a big difference in how her joints feel.

Can Help Her with Her Mood

Exercise helps to release hormones and endorphins that help with your senior’s mood. Whether she’s been depressed or she’s simply been dealing with a moodier period of time than in the past, exercise can help. It frees up her brain to work on problems that might feel insurmountable now.

Can Help Her to Sleep Better

Just a little bit of extra movement can help your senior’s body to rest better when she’s ready to sleep at night. When she isn’t battling excess energy that builds up in her body, she can fall asleep and stay asleep much more easily. This can directly contribute to having better energy throughout the day, too.

Can Help Her to Avoid Falling

As your senior develops better muscle tone and improves her balance, she’s much less likely to take a fall. It might also help to hire senior care providers to help you to spot potential fall risk issues. Between exercising a little more and having some help deciphering potential issues, your elderly family member might feel more secure at home.

The thought of starting a new exercise plan could be an intimidating one for your aging adult. She might also worry that she’s too old to worry about exercising now. It’s vital that you help her to get away from those lines of thought, because exercise can do so very much for her in this phase of her life.

If you are considering senior care in Lynchburg, VA for an aging loved one, please talk to the caring staff at Acti-Kare of Blue Ridge. Call 888-451-5273. Our office provides senior care and home care services in the following locations including Blue Ridge, Lynchburg, Salem, Roanoke, Smith Mountain Lake, and Bedford in Virginia.

Categories