As our parents age, their vision, mobility, balancing, memory wakens. We often find our parents making considerable efforts to hold that cup of tea and to walk a meter distance. Ageing brings a lot of challenges and risks. Elderly people are at high-risks of fall injuries as they don’t have the strength to move, balance the body. The deteriorating vision makes it more strenuous.
So, we are left only with two options either to let them stay in those 4-wall confined rooms or enjoy their days roam freely by assisting with physiotherapy exercises. If proper care and attention are given to our parents, their health can be improved, enabling them to walk freely without any support. There are many exercises and programs that can assist the elderly.
Elderly Home Care
With age, the compounds our body produces, stop functioning like lack of glycolic alpha hydroxy acid in the skin, calcium shortage causing weakness in limbs, eye problems. Other causes may be surgery, medicines, falls.
These compounds can be restored to a certain level with physiotherapy exercises. Many clinics provide professional therapists to help you with activities, or you can start with these easy exercises
Alternate Leg Raise: This is a great exercise that can be performed without any equipment. You can stand as support and ask your parents to do the exercise. Just stand straight on the floor and raise hands up to the shoulder position horizontally. Now lift left leg and keep it above ground for 30 seconds, slowly bring it down and repeat the same for the right leg. This will help you walk on the stairs and other areas at home.
Heel To Toe: While an effective exercise for balancing. In heel to toe, exercise one needs to move to touch the heel of one foot to the toe of the other foot in a straight line. Repeat the steps to a distance of about 20 feet. You can take the support of your grandchildren if you face any difficulties.
With physical exercise, mental exercises are also essential. As the elderly does not have any work to do, they live in solitude wandering in the past. It can affect their health dramatically. Spend some time with your parents, talk to them about how they feel, ask if they want something favorite to eat. These small gestures are effective ways to support our elderly parents. You can also help them with Yoga classes to prevent any respiratory and chest problems.
Physical therapy gives the feel to walk confidently. It restores mobility and improves strength. However, if there is a strong set-back like fall injury, sprained ankle, surgery, then extra care is required, which is offered by professional therapists at clinics in the form of packages.
Physiotherapy Programs
What is a Physiotherapy program? Most individuals do not get a clear answer to this question. Well, it is a type of service offered by elderly-care institutes, clinics post-surgery, and injury. The activities involved in the course help in pain management and recover to a state where one can carry out daily activities easily.
Personalised Plans: The program has customized plans that involve exercises, activities, diet, gait aid depending upon surgery and mobility status. Like for hip-surgery, one needs a customised sitting aid, for leg injury one requires a supported gait aid.
Contraindication Advice: A professional therapist will advise not to undergo any specific medical treatment or hold it for some time, as it could cause more harm to the patient, then recovery. The therapist will always be present with the patient to assist in any task, movement.
Tracking The Progress: The therapist will teach specific exercises to strengthen the muscles and prepare them for movement. Advice on what to do in case of pain and ensure the recovery process is taken with care.
Thus, with some exercise and a personalised care program, we can gift our parents the life they deserve in their remaining lifetime. Assist them to roam around freely at home, meet with their friends and enjoy tea in the garden remembering their old happy memories.