Getting more active, even in winter, might be easier for your senior than she thinks. Between streaming exercise programs, DVDs, and other ways to try out new activities, your elderly family member has a wealth of ways to become a lot more active right in her own home.

Get an Idea How Much Activity Is Right for Her

Exercise isn’t right for everyone. There may be reasons your senior’s doctor wants her to hold off on doing too much. It’s always a good idea to check with her doctor before she tries any new exercise program. This helps you and your senior to make sure you know what her limits are and how to ensure that she gets the benefits from exercising and being more active without causing problems elsewhere.

Establish Routines that Work for Her

Consistency is the key when your elderly family member is trying to become more active. Especially at the beginning, just showing up to whatever activity she’s engaging in is going to do her a lot of good mentally and physically. When your senior exercises isn’t necessarily important, as long as it’s not too late in the day and therefore interferes with her ability to get quality sleep.

Explore Different Types of Activities

It’s important for your elderly family member to try out a variety of different activities. That helps her to find what she truly enjoys, which is also going to help immensely with consistency. If your elderly family member hates the activities that she’s doing, she’s not going to stick with the plan. What she does is almost inconsequential, because the best exercise program is one that she’ll continue to do.

Be Careful with Goals

Something else to remember is that goals are all well and good, but they can backfire. If your elderly family member pushes herself too hard to reach a big goal, that can cause injury or worse, she might start hating her exercise routine. Build in helpful solutions, like reminders from elder care providers to stick with the routine that she’s formulated, for instance.

Home care providers can be helpful in so many other parts of this process, too. When they handle tasks for your senior that would take away time and energy from her goal of moving more, that gives her what she needs to stick with it. Elder care providers can also be there for physical and emotional support.

If you are considering elder care in Vicksburg, MI, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at Fresh Perspective Home Care at (269) 329-4717. We are here to help!

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Shelly Nutter

Area Vice President at Fresh Perspective Home Care

Shelly Nutter has been a driving force in the Fresh Perspective Home Care team since 2008 and is currently the Area Vice President. She began caring for others at a young age and has never looked back. Her strong faith and family values drives her passion for helping others. Shelly says she never found a career that fulfilled a "bigger purpose" her previous jobs until begin her home care career with Fresh Perspective Home Care. "Here I found growth, purpose, and a career to match my personal ambition of making a difference in the lives of others." Shelly is native to the Kalamazoo/Portage, Mi area and has been married for over 25 years Together they have three children that she believes have benefited from watching Mom work hard to help others, advocate for others, and give to others. She also holds a bachelors degree in Accounting and an associates degree in Business Management.

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