Activity & the Elderly

Maintaining an active lifestyle helps elderly people enjoy a better quality of life.  Most people are happy when life is a balance between resting, meeting daily needs (eating, toileting, etc.), socializing, exercising, and having fun!

BENEFITS OF ACTIVITY

Whether they are planned or spur-of-the-moment, activities can help pass the time and be a fun way for people to maintain or regain function.  There are many benefits to staying active.  For example, activity:

• Can be entertaining.
• Provides a distraction.
• Promotes communication.
• Almost always has a therapeutic value.
• Stimulates thinking and creativity.
• Improves the quality of life.

IS BEING INACTIVE ALL THAT BAD?

Haven’t old people earned the right to just sit and do nothing?  Well, if people are physically inactive, they can have problems like:

• Pressure ulcers.
• Wasting away of their muscles.
• Constipation.
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Edema (swollen tissues).
• Blood clots.
• Urinary tract infections.
• Poor appetite.
• Pneumonia.

TIPS FOR HELPING YOUR ELDERLY CLIENTS REMAIN ACTIVE!

• Tell your supervisor if you think your clients could be more independent in their activities—if they only had the right equipment.  For example, Mr. Lawson feels happier when he can dress himself.  He could do so if he had a long shoehorn and shirts without buttons.
• Be creative when thinking up activities for your clients.  What’s the worst thing that could happen?  Your client won’t like the activity and won’t want to do it again.
• If you work in a facility with a client who loves to socialize, ask your supervisor if that client can deliver mail and/or birthday cards to other clients.
• Remember that the key to activity and the elderly is to understand the needs, abilities, and interests of each of your clients.  The more you understand about your clients, the more you can help them participate in a full and active life—no matter what their age or health status!