How to help Mum or Dad add some spring to their step!

As we head into the warmer months, one thing we really look forward to doing with our clients here at TPC is to incorporate getting outdoors into our treatment sessions as much as possible.

Getting some sunshine not only helps boost mood and vitamin D levels (important for bone health and immunity), but also our physios love bonding with our clients over the gorgeous flora in bloom, or even bird-watching.

What are some interests of your elderly Mum or Dad that you can encourage to help get them more active as the weather improves?

Some suggestions you could look into are:

• Community garden groups
• Tai Chi, walking or cycling groups
• Sports such as golf, lawn bowls, and our TPC favourite – pickleball!

Are they struggling a bit?

If they’re struggling a bit with their mobility, there are ways activities of interest can be modified e.g. putting for golf, seated bowls or throwing/catching.

We find that many structured classes/groups do their best to accomodate people’s mobility issues so it’s definitely worth making an inquiry before ruling them out. Even the exercises Mum or Dad usually do inside at home could be done at a park bench or outside railing instead.

For those whose interests are usually indoors, try bringing these activities outside instead. Taking a book out to a park to read or downloading some of their favourite music onto their mobile phone to enjoy while outside could be motivating factors.

Incidental exercise

There are also many ways we can add more incidental exercise into our day. Some ideas could include:

• Park the car further away from the entrance at the shops
• Get off the bus one stop early
• Change up the usual walking route and explore a new area
• Taking morning tea out to a park instead of having it at home

We hope we’ve given you some new ideas to Mum or Dad get some extra steps into their day. If you’d like to discuss having a physiotherapy assessment to provide some tailored advice, our friendly Client Care team would love to help.

 

Article written by May-Ann Low, TPC physiotherapist