How Is Exercise Usually Addressed in Assisted Living Facilities

Reaching the golden age of life and finally getting the chance to stop working and enjoying your freedom is not something all people have a chance to experience. The world is definitely not a fair place so many who have been working hard and caring for others never get the chance to live long lives and have others to the same for them when they are older. Even if an elderly person is healthy and vigorous, their children and grandchildren tend to be too busy with their own lives and daily obligations to spend enough time with them. Sadly, grandpas and grandmas all over the world are usually lonely especially if they do not have friends or neighbors to socialize with.

This is why homes for the elderly exist, better known as assisted living facilities. The tem assisted living implies that they need help with the most basic things, which is often the case. However, perfectly healthy individuals can also live there if they do not want to be alone and if their family lives far away. Therefore, such facilities need to offer different activities and have multiple features to meet the needs and requirements of all. While aspects like rails and extra safety throughout the facilities are always present, as well as the around the clock help by medical professionals and nurses, our elderly also require some sort of fun.

As we already said, many of them are still active and mobile, just like they were decades ago. Thanks to their healthy and active lifestyles, they do not require constant help and would actually like to be more entertained. For this reason, assisted living farcicalities have different exercises and physical activities that can help them fill up their day and socialize with others while doing what they love. In this article we talk about how exercise is usually addressed in assisted living facilities. To learn more as well as to check out one of the best facilities available at the moment, be sure to visit Assured Assisted Living.

Why Old People Need Activity

Physical activity is famous for being directly responsible for extended lifespans and an improved overall quality of life. However, as we grow older, we are unable to do nearly as much as before. As a human ages, the muscles become shorter, the bones become brittle, and both out balance and coordination decrease dramatically. What this means is that we cannot do harder activities that require sudden and quick movements, nor anything that implies lifting or using heavy equipment. This leaves only a handful of activities that older people can do without any issues. In most cases, all of them are present within the offer in assisted living facilities.

Stretching

Stretching is crucial for a number of reasons when we are younger. It is the best way to prepare the muscles and tendons for harder activates to come and it helps with flexibility and the range of motion. People who never stretched in their younger days usually have problems later in life because they grow stiff and have trouble using all their motion. Since harder physical efforts are out of the question, the elderly simply stretch as the main activity for the session. Flexing of fingers, arms, and legs alone feels good as it targets all the major joints. Stretching these as far as one can, or until there is pain, significantly increases longevity and makes individuals more mobile. Bending, reaching, and grasping objects out of reach are big parts of stretching exercises at assisted living facilities. Keeping the body loose and in shape like this is key.

Walking and Jogging

Not often considered a real physical activity, walking is more important the older we get. As we stated previously, the range of motion and the intensity we can put in drop over time and walking becomes more challenging. It is never hard, but it does more good than it used to. Casual daily walks around the premise or around the neighborhood are enough. Some prefer doing it in the evening, others like morning walks. Active walking that is a little bit faster is also an option if the individuals are still in shape, as well as light jogging. You have probably seen groups of old people jogging together in parks and on tracks. Well this is exactly that, and all they really need for a daily dose of activity.

Swimming

Everyone knows how healthy swimming is for the entire body. It is the only activity where the whole body works at the same time. All of the muscle groups and bones have to come together to move the body through water. It is a low impact exercise that is actually quite beneficial if performed daily or even weekly. Not all facilities have pools but some rent local pools and bring the clients there couple of times per month for a swimming session. Older people also love swimming because it is refreshing and relaxing. It is not only about staying active but also enjoying yourself! Best of all, those who cannot stand, walk, or jog for long or cannot deal with the jostling and thumping it implies usually enjoy swimming.

Yoga

Yoga is sometimes viewed as a physical activity without any sort of benefits because the movements and exercises look slow and light. In reality, it is an amazing stretching and muscle-building activity in one and therefore an obvious choice for assisted living facilities. To remain flexible and mobile but not risk any form of injury, there is hardly anything better than yoga. It can even be done while sitting down. This is called chair yoga and it was developed for people who have trouble standing and walking, or who have to use wheelchairs. Yoga benefits those with arthritis, vertigo, hyperextension, chronic fatigue, depression, and multiple sclerosis the most. Think about it, no matter how some groups view it in comparison with other sports and activities, it would not be popular and wide present after thousands of years if did not work.