Becoming as physically active as your senior is able to be can have tremendous benefits for her overall health and well-being. That can be easier said than done, however, depending on other health challenges she’s facing.
Helps with Mental Health and Cognition
Because of how the body functions, moving encourages your senior’s brain to release endorphins and other chemicals that assist with mood and with mental health. Reducing stress levels through movement helps your elderly family member to be more emotionally and mentally resilient. Physical activity also helps your elderly family member’s brain to have what it needs to keep functioning well.
Can Improve Immune Function
Your senior’s immune system also gets a boost from all those feel-good chemicals that movement helps to release in her body. Exercise alone isn’t going to keep her from getting sick, but it can help her to strengthen her immune functioning. Moving more also helps your elderly family member to manage chronic health issues, like higher blood sugar levels, so that it’s easier to stay healthy overall.
Can Reduce Fall Risks
The less your senior uses her body, the higher her risk of falling becomes. By moving more in a safe manner, your aging family member helps to reduce muscle loss and improves her balance and flexibility. All of that can pay off in a big way by helping her to avoid a potentially serious fall. One fall now doubles your senior’s risk of falling again, so anything that she can do to avoid falling is important.
Your Senior Can Have Targeted Assistance with Her Concerns
It’s easy to say “move more” to your senior, but there may be a lot of reasons that’s difficult for her. Home health care can offer your elderly family member a way to manage her concerns and issues in a way that is truly helpful. A physical therapist is able to work directly with your senior to offer her exercises and therapies that improve her ability to move well. Physical therapy at home can be exactly what your senior needs to become as mobile as possible again.
Preserving your senior’s sense of independence involves a lot of different activities, including helping her to protect her mobility. Talk with your senior’s doctor about how much physical activity is okay for her, so that she knows what her goal is as she’s increasing her movement on a daily basis. A home health care provider can easily follow the doctor’s recommendations for your senior and assist in performing the activities safely.
If you are considering home health care in Marcellus, MI, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at Fresh Perspective Home Care at (269) 329-4717. We are here to help!
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