How Can Staying Active Benefit Your Senior Loved One?

Assisted Living

Many elderly adults make a resolution to be more active and find themselves struggling to keep up with the decision. Depending on your location, dangerous road conditions or weather might be keeping you indoors, or you might be feeling less than motivated to get up and be active. In the hope of pumping up your motivation and making you take part in senior health building activities, experts in our assisted living facility share some of the important benefits of staying active in your golden years.

Staying Active Can Reduce Depression

Taking part in your favorite senior activities can be very much beneficial for your mental health. Apart from the release of endorphins, documented research shows a link between exercise and reduced depression in seniors. Together with psychotherapy and medication, consistent exercise can have an effective role in reducing depression in seniors.

Staying Active Improves Social Networks

Socialization is very much important in all phases of life, especially in senior years. Having a network of encouraging and supportive friends can ensure a higher quality of life for elderly adults. If you are able to take part in various senior activities that are held in large or small group settings, do so, as it can help you make friends. This is because it can be easy to make friends when you have something in common or are going to see each other frequently. Friendships and socialization have been associated with reduced stress in seniors together with offering feelings of belonging.

Staying Active Help Reduce Falls

Staying active can offer many physical benefits which can lead to reduced falls. Consistent activity can result in increased strength in the extremities which can reduce the risk of a fall. Furthermore, sustained exercise can help improve endurance, and balance, improve spatial awareness and develop flexibility. All of these can be beneficial in decreasing the chances of a fall. As falls are one of the biggest health risks to elderly adults, it will be wise to reduce the chances of your senior loved one falling by incorporation exercise into his or her daily routine.

Staying Active Can Help Improve Cognitive Health

Exercise routines that incorporate crossing the midline or memorization can improve your cognitive health and may even help slow down the progression of dementia disorders. Activities such as yoga, tai chi and dancing are great to boost cognition in elderly adults. You need not worry if you are unable to stand for the class, as you can still take part in these programs from a chair.