As seniors age, they usually require more assistance. However, they may balk at their adult children’s attempt to provide the assistance they need. This is especially the case when it comes to helping them see the need to engage in regular exercise. To help your aging parent take steps to live a healthier and more active life, check out these tips.
Express Your Concern
It’s less likely that your parent will react positively if you offer your opinion about his or her fitness in a way that criticizes his or her current physical state or places blame for how he or she got there. It’s important that your parent understands you’re concerned because you love him or her and want him or her to have a high quality of life for many years to come.
A home caregiver can help you explore healthy ways to persuade your loved one to exercise. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of home care service. You can rely on Prestige Home Care Orlando to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
Provide Support & Assistance
Next, give your parent the tools he or she needs to exercise successfully. Introduce your loved one to individuals in the same age group who enjoy living active and healthy lives. There are a lot of technological devices out there that help seniors stay active. If your parent needs more hands-on help, a professional caregiver can provide in-home assistance or accompaniment to a gym, fitness center, or senior center.
Seniors can face a variety of challenges as they age, many of which can be mitigated with the help of professional in-home caregivers who provide high-quality senior home care. Windermere families trust Prestige Home Care Orlando to help their elderly loved ones age in place safely and comfortably.
Partner Up
It’s also important to work as a team. We could all take some steps to increase our fitness levels and the amount of time we spend exercising. Why not work with your parent as a team to create a joint fitness plan? For older adults, creating a fitness plan after years of doing no exercise at all can seem like a daunting task. Your loved one may be more inclined to start and stick to a fitness routine if he or she sees you’re willing to do it too.
Maintain a Positive Attitude
Provide your parent with positive reinforcement and set milestones. Support your loved one’s efforts, no matter how great or small they are. Positive reinforcement, as long as it doesn’t come across like you’re nagging, will encourage your loved one to maintain an exercise routine. Set small goals with your parent and celebrate as he or she reaches them.
If you’re the primary family caregiver for a senior loved one living in Orlando, live-in care is available if your loved one’s health has become too difficult to manage without professional expertise. At Prestige Home Care Orlando, we take measures to help seniors prevent illness and injury by assisting with exercise and mobility, preparing nutritious meals, helping with bathing and other personal hygiene tasks, and much more. To create a customized care plan for your loved one, call us at (407) 604-0504 today.