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Welche Übung ist für ältere Menschen geeignet?

admin — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 19:03:26 +0000

We constantly hear that exercise is beneficial: it reduces overweight, strengthens the heart, lifts the mood, and lowers the risk of cancer and diabetes. But what kind of exercise can an elderly person do?

There are many ways to exercise that are compatible with the fragile health of older people. It doesn’t have to be strenuous or dangerous. The body just needs a gentle increase in pace and muscle strengthening.

Let's accept it: exercise and fitness contribute to a better and happier life. So let’s look at how we can integrate exercise into our own abilities.

Why do we need exercise and fitness?

Exercise makes us independent

Exercise makes it easier for older people to remain active and autonomous. If you want to maintain your mobility, it's good to move, even just a little.

Exercise reduces uncertainty

Exercise reduces uncertainty, so older people are less likely to fall. Exercise reduces falls by 23%.

Exercise gives us energy

Exercise activates the body and makes us feel more energy and joy in life.

Exercise helps prevent diseases

Diabetes, depression, heart disease, and osteoporosis are just a few of the conditions that can improve with exercise. Additionally, exercise can reduce the severity and symptoms of certain conditions.

Exercise helps the mind

Exercise improves brain function and cognitive abilities. Exercise can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's by 50%.

Exercises and fitness for older adults

Walking

The easiest and most natural exercise is walking. Wear comfortable, non-slip shoes and go for a walk. If there is a park near your home, make it a habit to walk there. If you enjoy driving, take the car and go to the sea to walk there. In general, you should incorporate walking into your life as much as possible. Without making life difficult, just go for a walk.

Swimming

Greece has sea everywhere, so we have the opportunity to swim, at least in the summer. If you are afraid of the seabed and worried about slipping, wear special water shoes. For added safety, you should swim only to the point where you can touch the bottom, and ideally at beaches with crowds and lifeguards. It is also good to have company while swimming in case something happens to you.

Swimming trains the body without straining it. You can exercise without having to worry about causing pain to your body, bones, or muscles. Swimming improves balance, strength, and flexibility of the body without overloading it.

If you have a swimming pool near your home, you can enjoy swimming year-round.

Pilates

Pilates developed 100 years ago as an exercise with minimal resistance that promotes breathing, concentration, and inner strength. Pilates is performed using mats, balls, and other light accessories, as these, while lightweight, are still capable of building physical strength without straining the body.

There are specialized exercises for older adults. The exercises are adapted to the physical condition of the individual and adjusted based on any conditions, such as arthritis, back and spine issues, etc.

Chair exercises

Why not do exercises while sitting in a chair? If your balance is a bit uncertain, you can perform strength exercises on a chair. These exercises combine yoga and other methods to train bones, muscles, and joints with minimal stress and strain on the body. The exercises include stretches, twists, and positions that promote the body, relaxation, and training.

Resistance bands

If you are familiar with training and your body is in good condition, you can do exercises with resistance bands. It is a cost-effective way to exercise, and you can even do it while sitting.

They strengthen arms and legs and can be adjusted to your strength and needs. If you have difficulty with your legs, focus on your arms, and vice versa.

Exercises you should not do

Painful and difficult exercises have no place in the life of an older person. As long as you exercise regularly, you can incorporate more demanding and challenging exercises into your routine. However, always remember to listen to your body and that you don't need to prove anything.

Painful jogging, for example, can put strain on your legs and back. If you have been doing it for a long time, continue, but if you are a beginner, it is better to find a different type of exercise.

Long walking puts strain on the body without offering much benefit. Climbing and mountaineering are also strenuous exercises that can easily lead to injuries. Unless you are an experienced mountaineer, we recommend choosing a different exercise.

Weightlifting, abdominal exercises, and squats can put strain on the body and be overwhelming. They could injure your back and knees, especially if you don't have much experience or good physical condition.

The senior care facility The Seniors Plaza and exercise

As a senior care facility, we strive to promote exercise and well-being among our residents. We have staff and doctors who advise on suitable types of exercise and fitness for older adults, and we follow their recommendations.

If you would like information about our senior care facility, call us at (800) 925-63-24 or visit us at our facility in Vathy, Samos. We look forward to assisting you.

The post Welche Übung ist für ältere Menschen geeignet? appeared first on The Seniors Plaza - Μονάδα Φροντίδας Ηλικιωμένων, Οίκος Ευγηρίας στο Βαθύ Σάμου.

Was wissen die Kunden nicht über Altenheime?

admin — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 19:53:00 +0000

Is your client looking for daily care for a loved one who increasingly needs it as they age? The parent has been left alone at the end of their life and feels abandoned. The family cannot take care of them, and they can no longer manage without help, so they have decided to place them in a nursing home. This decision deserves careful consideration. Before making a final judgment, the individual pros and cons should be carefully weighed.

Nursing home – one caregiver for many clients

The biggest disadvantage of nursing homes is that the caregiving staff has to attend to many patients at the same time. They do not have the opportunity to care for each elderly person individually, as is possible with full-time care in the patient's home environment. Often, one caregiver is responsible for ten patients who need care. With full-time home care, which is the second possible care option, the elderly person does not feel useless, as if they have been left to spend their days in an environment with strangers.

Fees in senior care facilities

Senior care facilities are not free and charge various additional fees. Therefore, care in a nursing home is not necessarily cheaper than 24-hour home care, although this is commonly assumed. With rising prices due to the current situation—life after a pandemic triggered by war—it's expected that these price increases will be passed on to nursing homes. Of course, the total costs also depend on the type and level of amenities of each facility. Public facilities generally charge less than private ones. Better facilities come with additional fees. Sanatoriums are among the most expensive facilities but offer better quality care. Residences with a pool or sauna are very costly. In such facilities, physiotherapists are often present, and their services are not cheap. Additional fees are often related to better meals due to special diets, a television in the room, or a private room. Sometimes, retirees pay for service packages they ultimately do not use.

Nursing home and numerous restrictions

The disadvantage of nursing homes is often the presence of routine. The course of each day is more or less repetitive. Everything is regulated at regular intervals, which may be appealing to some elderly individuals. However, with home care, there is significantly more variety in daily activities. Most of the time, grandparents cannot take their pets with them to nursing homes—they are attached to them, have built a close bond, and will miss them. However, with 24-hour home care, the pet stays with them.

Nursing home and visits

In nursing homes, visits from family members are only allowed at specific times. Typically, there is one hour per day for visits, with slightly longer time slots on weekends. When a caregiver looks after an elderly person at home, family members can visit at any time. Additionally, nursing home residents do not have as much freedom to express their needs or intervene in their care if something is not right. If they are unhappy with the care in the home, the only option is often to remove the elderly person. Considering the recent situation with COVID-19, visits to nursing homes were very complicated. People were unable to communicate with their loved ones for a long time to avoid risking their health or that of other residents in the home.

Unfamiliar environment and disorientation problems

It is true that the resident in a nursing home has peers among whom they can make friends, talk, watch television, or play cards and chess. However, they may also want to stay alone in their room. Single rooms are usually available in more luxurious facilities, which come with additional costs. An elderly person might feel disoriented in the home since it is an unfamiliar environment at first. This, of course, also depends on the nature of the patient and the diagnosis. If someone suffers from Alzheimer’s and the associated disorientation problems, adjusting to life in such a facility will be very challenging. In such cases, it is better for the person to remain in their own home, where they are familiar and have spent many years. They feel more comfortable there. A better way to stay in touch with peers is for seniors to attend a day care center that is open around the clock, where they can spend time with friends, socialize, or even go on outings.

The post Was wissen die Kunden nicht über Altenheime? appeared first on The Seniors Plaza - Μονάδα Φροντίδας Ηλικιωμένων, Οίκος Ευγηρίας στο Βαθύ Σάμου.