Has your senior started to be much more sedentary in her aging years? That’s not unusual, but it can cause problems for her health. What helps the most is to approach this situation with an open mind and by wanting to help your senior to solve the difficulties that are keeping her from being as active as she’d like to be. Here are a few tips to consider and how in-home care can help.

Have a Conversation with Her Doctor

Before your elderly family member makes any changes to her activity level, she really does need to talk to her doctor. That’s because changes to her habits might need to be smaller ones at first to accommodate health issues. Determining that it’s safe for her to start an exercise program, no matter how slow and small it might be, is a great way to ensure that she’s not going to hurt herself.

Look at the Obstacles Keeping Her from Being Active

What is keeping your senior from being more active right now? Some of the reasons could be that she doesn’t know what to do or she feels as if she has to do something big, like join a gym or hire a physical trainer. None of that has to be true, of course, so it helps to sit down and talk about what her beliefs are around moving more. That’s when you can start to make some progress.

Make a List of Things She Wants to Try

The next step is to sit down and make a list of all the different physical activities your senior wants to try out. They don’t have to be realistic just yet. The idea right now is just to make a list. So activities like marathon running and scuba diving might share space with nature walks and riding a bike. Once you’ve brainstormed for a bit, you can start to look at the more realistic activities first.

Plan for Being More Active

Now your senior needs to make a plan for being more active. When can she try some of these activities? Some people like to be more active earlier in the day while others prefer to exercise in the afternoon. Having a routine is important because that makes it more likely that your senior is going to stick with what she tries. That’s a vital piece of the puzzle.

Work out What Helps to Support Her Being More Active

When you put supports in place right from the start, your senior has a better chance of success with her plan. In-home care is a great idea because caregivers can remind your senior of her plans and be there to offer not only moral support but physical support if your senior needs it. Also, in-home care providers can take over some of the tasks that might be exhausting your senior now. When she has more energy to exercise, she’s putting that energy to good use.

Whatever your senior tries in order to be more active can do a lot to support her mental and physical well-being. Even if she doesn’t like the activities that she tries at first, encourage her to keep going.

If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring In-Home Care in Seminole, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.