This is much better advice for seniors. https://healingexercise.org/blogs/healing/exercises-for-seniors-and-boomers
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I’ve tried everything to get my mother moving. pT has worked with her and she started gaining her strength back. Once they were done the bands went in the drawer and that was that! She uses a walker and movement has become very difficult. Her day consists of sitting in her chair and sleeping.
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What are your thoughts about running or jogging? I recently the National Osteporosis Foundation www.nof.org/patients/fracturesfall-prevention/exercisesafe-movement/ as well as others ageless-nutrition.com/staying-active-with-osteoporosis/ have advised against running. This goes against the idea of doing weight bearing exercise to help maintain strong bones.
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A shame not to see Tai Chi mentioned in above article. It is being embraced more and more through evidence based research as greatly improving balance, flexibility and core strength, thereby reducing the risk of falls. Here in Australia NSW Health department has a programme aimed at seniors where they can learn Tai Chi for a gold coin donation in most regional areas as well as the city. Dr. Paul Lam is the driving force behind the programme and also travels to USA running workshops. Tai Chi can also be done by those people in wheelchairs. It is a gentle form of exercise with the added benefit of relaxation. Check out the Tai Chi for health website for classes near you.
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My dad is 103, and is limited due to a mild stroke a few years ago. He is fairly well recovered, but his balance isn't good and he uses a cane. He was given some exercises, which I suspect he is lax about doing. He lives at home with his grandson, who I can ask to remind him to do the exercises. But should I ask his Dr. about giving him some chair exercises for aerobics?
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Walking is the best exercise for the elderly,for 30 min. 3-5 days a week.Qi gong is also very good for balance and flexibility.We've add Nordic pole for our walking,that make our walking longer than without pole and more rapid pulse and respiratory rate.
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exercise had been an age-old secret that many people had long abandoned or never did fully appreciate the value.It's one thing that the body needs and it's been an ancient practice -for the body,mind and spirit...if we only had more time and more energy to do it:)
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Hi Cwillie-
I am not implying that my mother is elderly, but rather an older adult. She was born in 1957, which is actually an age cohort that is identified as baby boomer. Much research has shown that exercise is good for anyone whether they are considered a young adult or older adult. Much of the reason why the word "elderly" or "Seniors" is a discriminatory word, hence the reason I use older adult.
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Agewave, are you implying your 59 year old mother is elderly? When I read this article I was picturing people in their 80's and up, most of the caregivers on this site are in your mother's age bracket looking for advice for their own parents.
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Awesome article! I think too often we focus on age and not the actual person. For example my 59 year old mother works out at least 5 times a week, doing extensive cardio. Another example involves the findings in a study that found that pilates exercise training increased older adult individuals’ walking speed by 26.9%. Pilates within itself is a very intense workout. My 23 year old body can barely stand it.
Sources: Bullo, V., Bergamin, M., Gobbo, S., Sieverdes, J. C., Zaccaria, M., Neunhaeuserer, D., & Ermolao, A. (2015). The effects of Pilates exercise training on physical fitness and wellbeing in the elderly: a systematic review for future exercise prescription. Preventive medicine, 75, 1-11.
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My dad was always physically and mentally active throughout his life. He seemed to lose his zest for life when mom died and he deteriorated rapidly. A friend of the family who is a doctor recommended a book called YOCHI to get him active again and give him a purpose in life. It has changed his life. I even started to do the exercises with him. It's worth a look.
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Exercise for seniors is imperative if they want to live a life of usefulness with less pain and more mobility. moving body parts (joints and muscles) need to move or they stiffen up and atrophy. Exercise is a way to bring blood to the muscles and decrease inflammation.
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I think exercise is extremely important for older people, but it is probably a lost cause for 80-somethings who have never exercised in their lives and who were brought up to regard exercise as unfeminine or for children or poor people. My mom thinks walking is for poor people or children and that it is beneath her. Attitudes towards exercise have changed hugely in the past 40 years but my mom hasn't changed at all. Even if she wanted to move, she would need physiotherapy to get started because that's a job well beyond my powers. Many of her physical problems would be more under control if she had exercised as a life long habit. Well, that's water under the bridge.

I love walking myself and anything to do with water. But I am certainly going against the stream culturally, as far as older women go anyway. My pool is closed for two weeks over Christmas and so are most others in town. Even the Jewish community center is mostly closed over Christmas week!?! This is exactly the time of year when I most need my pool work. Apparently society doesn't think so.

I am unusual in taking my pool work at all seriously though. I feel that in order to benefit from exercise, I have to do the exercises. I didn't make the laws of nature. I am not in the pool at some godsaken hour of the morning for a yakking session but most of the women will talk and talk and talk and do very little exercise and will interfere with my exercises if I act at all friendly. I am quite ready to go for coffee afterwards but my pool session is too important to be yakked away.

What is the psychology of this behavior? They don't want to exercise themselves so no one else should either? I know my mother tries to undermine my exercise habits and resents the idea that it actually does give me a lot of benefit. My health, according to her, is the result of luck.
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You need growth hormones, testosterone and to balance out your steroids

Casey
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@ Calraisins, try about 5 grams of Vitamin C. for the swelling and check the meds to see of the side effects are swelling. If so, I would dump those meds
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yeah, right regular exercise is always a good common sense thing to do provided that you are still ambulatory and provided that the drugs you are taking aren't making you exercise intolerant.
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I have heard that bursitis, like arthritis, is improved with exercise. Yes, it hurts to move, but the pain recedes as you exercise. You have to push pain the first pain barrier. The thing is, that seniors won't usually do this.
About the her legs and feet getting swollen: I'm wondering if she has edema or lymphadema which is also improved with exercise.
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My 87 yo mother has a compressed spine due to worn-down bones, plus pain throughout her frail body that comes and goes with severe intensity. She has her pain meds and teas but the worst part is she has bursitis on her shoulders and hips. When the pain subsides somewhat she walks a bit more. Otherwise she sits a lot. She gets massages once a week which help with the circulation. But her latest complaint is that her legs get swollen and feel heavy. Is there anything else out there that can alleviate the pain caused by the bursitis?
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One thing we need to realize that any physical movement at all can help. First, maybe get a senior to move the arms and legs while sitting or lying down. Then take him or her on a short walk. Even walking using a walker gets the circulation going. Completely sedentary life is destructive. Seniors love and guard their independence and they should. One way to stay independent is by exercise and activity. This keeps the body from declining and breaking down. A senior may have the extra energy for a brisk walk but not enough for home care such as cooking and housework. They may need someone to help them do errands or take them to doctor appointments.
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Just found out the my mnl osteoporsis has gotten bad and that he gave her a new prescription for Fosmax once a wk and for her take her calicum pill twice a day. She tells him that she don't have problem taking pills but that a bunch of mess for she argues just about everyday that she don't need these and the dr is just trying to make money.
finally the dr asked her if she had any complain and she said no. I spoke and said yes she does. Of course if looks could kill again for I got them. I told him that she complains every time that her legs hurt when we go for that half a block walk that suppose to be done every-other day like he asked. the mnl started off putting it off on my husband her son that, he makes her walk too far which was a whole block and I told him that is too much for her. I told hubby that she needed to start slow like the dr reccommended and let her work her way up to a whole block but slow walks. I guess hubby was making up for the 1/2 blocks she was not walking. However, that only happen one time. I told her dr that, she starts to complaining before we even get out the door! She complains that she don't see anyone else around her age walking and complains her legs hurt. I told him that we have shown her a couple of elderly people walking around the whole block but she complains that, they must be use to it. So he checked her legs and ask her a few question and he finally told her to stop complaining and get out and walk half-a-block everyday for at least 5 days a wk. He then explained to her that it helps with her osteoporsis too. He also said he spotted a small spot on her left side of her x-ray and that scared me a bit. However, he said not to worry and that they would do another x-ray within 3 months. Here I go rambling again. I know exercise is good for them yet, it is so hard to get them off that chair sometimes. But, I will have to remember it is best for her and me too.
Throwing the ball sounds like a good exercise for those who are stuck sitting. Maybe a beach ball or a yoga ball. Their lights and they come in different colors.
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Sandfox, seems like you out showed those young ones. ; ) That is one reason why their such a huge epidemic for children with type 2 diabetes due to lack of exercise and of course other reasons as well. I remember when my mom would complain that we only came home to eat, drink and sleep for we were always outdoor doing some sort of physical activities. You go girl show them you can out do those young ones. : )

mjholt, sorry to hear that your mom passed but it sounds like she was very active as much as she could even with the wheel chair. It is amazing how music can have a positive effect on some people. We listen to the old 80's that has beat when driving either my mnl or I to a doctor or etc. She now will pat her legs to the beat from just watching me. I explain to her it helps get ya out of the blue moods and she loves it and she is hilarious sometimes just watching her enjoying something. I bet you your mom and your dad are dancing their life feet away. ; )
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My mother used a walker to get around. We never allowed her to use a wheelchair because we did not want her to get dependent. She loved to dance but was afraid to fall. We would crank up the oldies and she would dance in her chair. Every now and then we got her dancing outside of her chair. She loved going out and traveling but that got harder to do. It was very sad watching her get older and not able to be as active. She finally passed at the age of 83 and I am sure she is dancing with my dad in heaven. mjl
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What about buying one of those colorful beach balls for those who are taking care of a love one who has a sedentary lifestyle? Of course, thats being they have mobile hands without pain. They can move the beach ball up/down above their head and back/forth from their chest for gentle light air weight exercise. U may have to try a little music and see if that gets the spirit going and get one for yourself so they see you are having fun and just maybe they will join to have some fun. Its worth a shot.
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I'm 67 and I can still ride 100K per day when I have the time to fully condition (which I miss so very much right now). Right now, I can crank 20-30 miles without much conditioning. So, exericse does work. When I'm confined, I do Pilates in the basement. There are young kids in my neighborhood that can't keep up with me riding. After a couple of miles, they are puffing and panting. Dismal! They go to schoole, sit on the butts all day, then go home and sit in front of a TV or computer. Dismal!
The "Fountain of Youth"? It's exercise. Enough cheer-leading :)
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My Mom is also exercise averse. She nees to; it's absolutely essential for her to continue living, period. She'll do the exercises only if I do them with her, the full list she is supposed to do as per her physical therapist. With her, it's all about company. She doesn't really care about the benefits (!!!), she just wants the company. She is capable of doing these herself.
I'm considering getting her involved in a senior group that offers exercise clases, and I think that this could work, provided she finds others in the class toi be companions to her. The companionship is the essential thing. I'm working on it. But, whatever you do get them exercising. And, yes, at first, use small steps then work up to greater exercises as they improve, and they will. It's not a futile effort.
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Regular exercise provides a myriad of health benefits in elders including improvements in blood pressure, diabetes, lipid profile, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and neuro-cognitive function. Regular physical activity is also associated with decreased mortality and age-related morbidity in older adults. Thanks a lot.
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There is a program on TV and on video called "sit and be fit" for anyone who can't exercise while standing. It would be a good place for a sedentary elderly person to start, or maybe after an injury or illness. Studies of nursing home residents showed that even they can regain muscle mass with exercise. My 95 year old grandfather in law goes to the flea market and walks around and also dances every dance at the senior dances. I am sure that's why he's 95. He's very fit and possibly healthier than I am (at age 52).
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I grew up in the country. Next door to us was a man that was 102 years old. Every morning you would see him out in his yard with a hoe, a shovel, or some other garden tool working away. I asked him how he manages to get out there every day and he told me that he had been doing it all his life. Why stop now?
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For the majority of elderly people, taking on activities such as walking around the block, playing simple catch with grandchildren, and using any wall to stretch out your arms and legs proves to be very healthy. Depending on any previous injuries, taking on small activities will help strengthen the muscles and bones. Remember to start off small and gradually build yourself up. Baby steps to start off and then make it a little harder and more lengthy.
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Hmmmm. Lorilocks I have a mom just like that. Complains how everything hurts but will not get up and move around.
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