Physical activity helps to improve body mechanics, both in young and old people. It enhances body flexibility and fast tracks blood circulation. Elderly people who constantly engage in physical exercise are revitalized, inside and outside. For instance, an active (elderly) athlete would enjoy an improved heartbeat and enhanced blood circulation because of that person’s daily activities. Aged people with a long list of exercise routines rarely develop heart and lung issues.
Assisted living community in Oakland county recommends regular physical activities for the seniors, it enables a healthier and more vigorous living. People who commit to frequent exercise live longer, and can potentially gain extra hours or days or weeks, or months of life expectancy. Exercising is a smart way to achieve healthy aging, and healthy aging attracts a happy, safe, more fulfilled, and balanced life.
Why is Physical Exercise necessary for the Elderly
Physical exercise affects sensitive aspects of the body, like the blood, heart, bones, lungs, etc. When carrying out a swimming exercise, for example, nearly every part of your body is engaged. Other exercises like running, jumping, etc are also healthy, but aged people should only engage in exercise programs recommended by medical practitioners or doctors. Some exercises might be too harsh for the elderly and can cause internal pain and weakness.
Senior citizens who are ill or physically challenged will require extra help to partake in exercise programs, as lack of exercise can result in body fatigue. Exercise is considered an agelong approach to minimizing cardiovascular risk, it also helps to balance the blood sugar level and generally reduces human morbidity and mortality.
Activities of Daily Living
Daily living activities are different from physical exercises, physical activities are more energetic engagements that improve body mechanisms. Daily living activities are the ability of a person to coordinate daily tasks without needing any help.
When people don’t engage in exercise at a young age, their body grows weak, and it can become difficult for such individuals to fulfill their daily living activities at old age. Assisted living community Oakland county now provides aid to people who are old, tired, and ill. In these programs, training and physical exercise are included in the curriculum. Exercise generally helps to strengthen the body and also improves flexibility and coordination. It is possible for a senior residing in a care home to live a healthy and long pleasurable life when the person commits to the exercise programs, medication, and instructions of the caregivers.
What are these daily living activities?
Activities of daily living (ADL) are routine tasks that an average healthy person should perform by themself without requiring help. ADL is mainly used to determine the body function or quality of life in aged people. A person experiencing difficulties when trying to accomplish daily tasks has a poor quality of life and vice-versa.
The assisted living facility in Troy uses ADL as metrics for determining the health state of an individual, and the level of care the patient will require. ADL is typically categorized into two,
- Physical ADLs
- Instrumental ADLs
Physical ADLs
Physical ADLs refer to those basic skills a person needs to coordinate basic daily tasks, like putting on a dress, going to the toilet, bathing, eating, and handling personal hygiene. Below is a simplified list that describes the physical ADLs in detail.
- Feeding: When a person can conveniently feed without requiring assistance.
- Dressing: when a person can select a dress and properly wear the dress without needing extra hands.
- Toileting: this is a person’s ability to visit the toilet and use it properly, coming out cleaned without an extra help
- Ambulating: This is a person’s ability to walk around the house, or compound without assistance
- Continence: this is a person’s ability to properly hold and take a pee, that’s also the ability to control the bladder.
Instrumental ADLs
This refers to those skills a person needs to engage in a more tedious or tasking activity, like preparing the meal, driving, managing money, shopping, housekeeping, taking medication, etc. Below is a simplified list that describes the Instrumental ADLs in detail.
- Money and asset Management: purchasing things, paying bills, managing a business, and handling other monetary tasks, can all be categorized under money or asset management. Staying calculative and financially mindful requires some cognitive strength, and that’s why it is considered a tedious task.
- Shopping; This task tests a person’s ability to make decisions from multiple options. In every store or a supermarket, there are always multiple options for what we wish to purchase, and that strongly challenges our decision-making ability.
- Transportation and driving: Driving requires high sensitivity and shrewdness, and it engages the five senses. Conveying stuff from one location to another also requires mental strength and physical strength.
- Housekeeping: coordinating house chores, cleaning the house, and generally maintaining the things in the house is a big task, and requires so much energy.
- Taking Medication: This is a person’s ability to commit to taking drugs or medication at the prescribed time.
General health benefits of physical exercise in old people
A great percentage of adults between the age range of 65 and 90 are battling one illness or the other. This is common for old people because as they age, their body systems begin to underperform.
Studies show that regular physical activity in old people greatly improves the health of the body and mind. And keeping the body active and functional helps in the prevention of sickness and fatigue.
Below are some of the positive benefits of exercising at old age.
- It reduces the risk of fracture: aged people tend to fall when carrying out tedious chores or exercising.
- Regular exercise empowers the human bone and also strengthens the muscles.
- It reduces the risk of bone porosity and loss of bone density: This is a common condition in elderly people, as aging happens, bone mass begins to increase, making the bone porous. This is popularly known as osteoporosis.
- Regular exercise aids the human ability to carry out activities of daily living for a very long time, even at old age.
- Exercising promotes good body balance and helps in blood circulation.
- Helps to improve heart function, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack or heart failure, or stroke.
- It enhances human immune function and reduces human susceptibility to diseases
- Physical activity helps to minimize the chances of high blood pressure and more
