Elder Care in Etobicoke
How active your elderly loved one is often correlates with how well she’s able to maintain her health and her independence. You can help your loved one to become more active with a little bit of
planning and attention to what she can already do.
Talk with Her Doctor First
When you and your elderly loved one are ready to start increasing her activity level, it’s important to make sure that you talk with her doctor first. He can help you to determine your loved one’s recommended activity levels based on her current health conditions. If there are activities that your loved one absolutely shouldn’t do, you’ll be able to narrow those down right away.
Look at What Your Loved One Likes to Do
If your elderly loved one already has some activities that she enjoys doing, such as walking on nice days, see how you can build on those activities. Perhaps you can invest in a treadmill so that she can walk at home when it’s not so nice out for walking. Start making a list of the different activities that your loved one finds most appealing.
Sort through What Your Loved One Is Able to Do
Some of the activities that your loved one enjoys may not be ones that she’s able to do easily yet. For example, your loved one might love to swim, but if she hasn’t done that in a while, she may not be able to just jump in the pool yet. Some activities your loved one may need to work up to as she gains strength and becomes more active. In terms of swimming, your loved one may need to exercise in the water for a little while first, working up to swimming the width or length of the pool.
Help Her Engage in Activities as She Has Both Time and Energy for Them
As your loved one’s health changes, she may have fluctuating energy levels which dictate what she’s able to do. Keeping your loved one more active doesn’t mean that she has to push herself to extremes. Instead, focus on meeting your loved one where she already is in term of the time that she has on any given day and the energy levels she has at that time.
Your loved one’s elder care providers can help you to gauge the best activities for your elderly loved one, too.
About Susan Di Michele
Follow Us!