Senior Care in Allentown NJ

You already know that keeping your aging loved one active is an essential element of your senior care journey with her, but sometimes it is difficult to convince an elderly adult, particularly one who has not been very active throughout her life or who is reluctant to get active because of physical limitations or challenges, to get the physical exercise that she needs. Encouraging her to do simple activities using items that she already has around the house can be an easy way to ease her into a more active lifestyle or to keep her active when an illness, injury, or the weather is preventing her from participating in the exercises that she usually does.

One fantastic way to get your parent more active is to encourage her to do exercises that involve just a simple chair. Whether she is working out with you or with her senior health care services provider, these chair exercises are approachable and even enjoyable without being excessively strenuous. Feel free to adjust then to your parent’s particular needs so that she can get the most benefit out of her exercise without causing pain or stress.

Try some of these exercises that your parent can perform with a simple chair to improve her mobility, strength, range of motion, balance, and overall health:

• Ab twists. A strong core is essential to well-being and this exercise works to improve strength, control, and range of motion throughout the core, including in the abdominals and the back muscles. Have your parent sit toward the edge of the chair keeping her back as straight as possible and her feet flat on the floor. With her hands on her hips, twist as far to one side as possible and then back to center, and then as far to the other side as possible and back to center. Perform this movement twenty times on each side. If there are two people available, increase the fun of this exercise by having all three of you sit in chairs beside each other and get a small ball. Have your parent hold the ball and then twist to hand it to the person on her left, who will be twisting to her right, then go back to center. She should then twist again to take the ball back, go back to center, and then twist to hand it to the other person. Repeat this process thirty times.
• Ball rounds. Sitting in the same position, have your parent hold a ball in both hands at her knees. She should then lift the ball diagonally to one side and continue in a circular pattern until the ball is up over her head, and then diagonally to the other side, diagonally to the bottom of that side, and back to her knees. Repeat going the other direction. She should do this movement ten times to improve arm and shoulder strength, flexibility, and range of motion.
• Toe points. Improve balance, mobility, and ability to stand and move around for longer periods with this exercise that strengthens the muscles along the fronts and backs of the legs. Have her sit in the same straight-back, edge-of-the-seat position and straighten her legs out so that they are in front of her with the backs of her heels on the floor. She should then point her toes as far to the floor as possible, and then back as far as possible. Repeat each leg twenty times.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring senior care services in Allentown, NJ or the surrounding areas, please call Independence Home Care today at 609-208-1111 for more information.