January 20, 2010

Carol Carbutti, The Owner Of Comfort Keepers In Wallingford, CT Believes These Six Keys To Regular Exercise Will Benefit Our At Home Elderly Seniors While Promoting A Healthy Aging Lifestyle

By Carol Carbutti

The benefits of being physically fit for in home healthy aging retirees are so numerous that it makes no sense not to encourage them to develop a reasonable level of fitness. As our baby boomer parents and retired grandparents age, keeping fit can become more of a challenge, but the benefits are even more numerous and rewarding. Here are six keys that every senior and their private caregiver should keep in mind as they are pursuing a fitness program:

1. Frequency – How often your elderly senior parents exercise is an important factor in a successful fitness program. Family caregivers and companions need to remind their senior parents who are pursuing a health related fitness program that they do not have to exercise all that often. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) says that excellent results can be achieved by aging seniors with 2 sessions per week of strength training and at least 3 days a week of aerobic exercise (walking, etc.).

2. Intensity – How hard your healthy aging parents push themselves is also important. Seniors looking for in home health related fitness don’t have to push too hard. For aerobic exercise your elderly mom or dad should aim to work at a heart rate of about 60 -70% of their target heart rate (220 minus their age). Strength training requires enough weight to challenge an at home senior clients muscles, but not so much that it makes them really uncomfortable. The “no pain, no gain” mentality is definitely not necessary for good results.

3. Duration – This refers to how long an elderly client’s exercise session lasts. For good health, the requirements are very reasonable. A good target for aerobic exercise is 30 minutes per day. A caregiver can encourage sessions of as little as 10 minutes and build up to 3 times a day.  Following this healthy routine proves to create sufficient results. For strength training, duration is not too important.  It’s more important that homecare family members to observe and make sure their senior mom or dad’s routine covers a variety of exercises that target all of your major muscle groups.

4. Stretching – As our retirees get older, most of them lose some of the flexibility in their joints. Regaining as much of this flexibility as our elderly seniors can is extremely beneficial. For our homebound and respite care clients I recommend that they try to do some stretching exercises every day.  Even a few minutes a day can make a big difference.

5. Warm-up – Everyone including our active senior citizens should include at least a few minutes of warm-ups before they start their regular exercises. The goal of a simple warm-up is to simply loosen up the muscles which they are about to use and get some extra blood flowing.  For strength training a warm-up might include a set of exercises with little or no weight. For aerobic exercise, have your elderly parents start their exercise at a slower rate at the beginning then gradually pick up the pace, you will find that this method works well. A warm-up before stretching is also a good idea. Just a few calisthenics can safely and gently move the joints for our aging parents.

 

6. Cool Down – This is overlooked by many healthy aging seniors. The principle is pretty much the opposite of a warm-up. When your senior parent is done exercising, they need to gradually slow down their movements for a few minutes to bring the body back to a more normal level.  Caregivers should make sure their senior clients continue by slowing down their movements to bring their heart rate back down to a more normal level before they stop completely.

Using these keys will help our retired seniors to develop an exercise program that is both beneficial and easy for them to follow.  Your in home elderly parents will feel the results in a few short months.  This will make their effort well worth it. Keep in mind that an exercise program to improve their senior health is something they must plan on doing the rest of their life.  Family Caregivers and private home aids need to remind their clients continuously that their effort to achieve a happy and healthy lifestyle is worth the time. 

I know that some family caregivers do not have the extra time in their busy schedule to encourage this kind of physical activity, so you may want to ask some of your relatives and close friends to help out.  Another option to look into would be to hire an in home non medical caregiver and companion for a few hours a week to perform some household duties, run errands and encourage activities with healthy interaction.  You can find important information about our company by going to www.comfortkeepers.com.

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