Do you live with an elderly person? It is safe to say that you’re more worried about their health during this pandemic than ever that you would rather they stay at home to prevent their exposure to the deadly virus. As safe as the home is, you also cannot help but think their limited activity can lead their health to deteriorate.
Not all houses are built to allow the elderly to stay active. Some may even have a gloomy atmosphere that its occupants can’t help but just stay idle. If you have this dilemma, we offer you tips on how to get your elderly loved ones moving:
Establish a Routine
Because your elderly family member’s life revolves around the home only, they might have lost the drive to wake up early and get things done. If you are working from home or can afford a lifestyle to stay more frequently at home, you can assist your elderly loved one in getting used to a daily routine again. Start by setting the alarm for the following day and urge them to get up.
Make them take their medications and meals on time. Also, assign activities they can do in between aside from watching the television or whiling time away on social media. You have a wide range of activities that can strengthen their mental sharpness, including reading, word games, and crafting. Besides keeping them in good shape, you can also help them efficiently use their energy and, in turn, maintain regular sleeping patterns.
Maximize Your Living Room
Aim to make your living room live up to its name. It is not a space to simply exist in but, rather, a place to be. Keeping that soft and functional recliner that your parent or grandparent has practically melted into is okay for the sake of keeping them comfortable in their waking hours. It’s the best tool that they can maneuver from side to side depending on whether they want to face the window or the television.
But you can install living room furniture such as a wide coffee table and chairs with adequate lumbar support that could help enhance their posture and encourage them to sit upright. Make the room more conducive to various activities by installing bright but otherwise soft lighting. Provide your elderly loved one crafting tools, for knitting or sewing, for instance, or introduce them to card and board games that the rest of the family can also enjoy.
Active Wear
By wearing loosely fitting loungewear, a person tends to, well, lounge around and avoid strenuous activity. From time to time, have your elderly loved one done a workout garb. The compression of the elastic fabric of workout clothes and socks can help motivate them to do senior-friendly workouts and get their hearts pumping. The bouncy feel when wearing a pair of running shoes can also instantly get them into an active stance.
Bring Back Family Weekend Bonding Time
The stress they can be experiencing from prolonged isolation from the outside world is unimaginable. You can at least keep them company and do various activities that can entertain them, including those the family used to do on weekends or whenever everyone is at home, backyard cooks, for instance. Have them choose a role during the food preparation.
If not, you can eat breakfast al fresco style once in a while, so they can get their daily dose of sunlight while spending quality time with the family. Accompany them in their morning walk around the yard. Or, blast the stereo for some all-time family favorite tunes and encourage everyone to dance along.
Gardening
You can also prepare a space in your backyard for them to care for ornamental plants and even vegetables. Start by buying them a complete gardening attire and set of tools, bags of garden soil, and seedlings. Let them watch gardening instructional videos online if they do not have enough know-how.
Give them free rein on the plants they would rather grow. Ornamental plants are great for beautifying the home. Growing fruit or vegetable-bearing ones, on the other hand, is just a good choice because then they can find a sense of purpose by providing fresh produce to the table.
Overall, gardening offers numerous benefits for the elderly. According to a study, gardening helps promote the elderly’s physical well-being by preventing ailments like osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. It helps them stay mentally fit, too, by preventing depression, reducing stress, and promoting relaxation with the help of sensory stimulation from grazing their hands through plants and feeling the fresh air around them.
The isolation your elderly loved ones are going through can be overwhelming. You could only wish you could alleviate it for them. With the tips we shared, you can help them a lot.
