Exercises You Can Use With Senior Population
The physiological functioning of our body begins to deteriorate after the age of 50, the muscles start to decline at a faster rate, decreased cardiac output, the low metabolic rate among other body physiological changes that prevent the body effective and efficient functioning of day to day activities. The process of aging can leave a person dependent on others for the assistance of daily activities, however, it is possible to counter and slow physiological effects of aging through regular physical activities, but it is good to mention that exercise program for the senior population should be individualized to meet the person physical needs this is because this group is categorized as a high-risk group in physical exercises and they need constant monitoring. Seniors mainly need assistance with basic activities such as feeding, dressing, and bathing these challenges can be tackled using personalized exercises that address these challenges, this article highlights some physical exercises that can be used to help seniors to improve their day to day living.
The senior population face challenges in doing simple tasks of daily living (ADL) like feeding, dressing, bathing as well as instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) such as cooking, shopping, and other home chores, because of aging-related chronic conditions like arthritis that significantly affect their flexibility, decreased muscle mass making it challenging for this group to withstand physical exertions for a considerable amount of time, heart conditions that put them on cardiac arrest risk among other things that make it hard to engage them in a regular exercise program. Designing physical activities that improve flexibility and fine motor skills of this group can help them improve their ADL and IADL, some of the lost functionalities are from small muscle groups, and therefore focusing on exercises targeting such muscles can greatly boost their ADL.
Low to moderate aerobic exercises are recommended for this group, such aerobics activities include but not limited to walking, hydrodynamics exercises, swimming, and cycling, it is however recommended to maintain constant monitoring of their heart rate, blood pressure as well as their ratings of perceived exertion to make sure they are safe at all time, where applicable collect and keep their performance data which you can use to adjust, manipulate and improve the exercise program to ensure there is gradual progress on their health goals without putting them on any risks.
Senior population is also at high risk of experiencing deteriorated and irreversible brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s this condition can also be slowed by keeping the seniors active with ADL and IADL such as walking, cooking, and dancing. You can use highlighted exercises to design a good exercise program for the senior population.
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