Active Senior Living Residents Report Less Physical Decline
Senior living residents who stay active, be it at the community’s fitness center or via engaging programming activities, report less physical decline than their peers, new research shows.
Researchers tested residents’ walking speed, balance and their abilities to stand up after sitting in a chair. Then, researchers compared those results to the residents’ self-reported participation in exercise at the community.
The results revealed that residents who reported doing more exercise had more success maintaining their physical abilities over time.
“Physical decline is natural in this age group, but people who exercised more declined less,
For senior residents, warding off physical decline by staying active doesn’t necessarily to mean hitting the treadmill, doing pushups or sit-ups on a regular basis.
Instead, the most popular physical activities among residents at Parkwood Heights involved doing simpler, less strenuous tasks such as light workouts and walking,
Exercises that do require more physical exertion—but not too much—such as knee extensions or bicep curls, may help seniors maintain their physical capabilities longer than simply taking walks.
“For older individuals, walking may represent the most familiar and comfortable type of physical activity, Muscle-strengthening exercises promoted at Parkwood Heights and made more appealing to residents.
To combat the lack of physical activity among seniors, Parkwood Heights has conversations with their residents and we share the possible risks associated with lack of exercise, the foremost of which can be losing the ability to live independently.