Taking care of elderly people requires special planning and preparation. There’re a lot of things that one should keep in mind to keep the old people fit and happy. In this article we’ll take a look on a few of those things. Let’s begin:
Caring Physically
First of all let’s take a look on things that you should do to take care of elderly people’s physical health:
#1. Keep an eye on their physical health: If an old man/woman has pain or any other physical issue, take him/her to the doctor and don’t overlook the issue. Besides pain weakness, extra drowsiness and fatigue are other critical health cues you should watch out for while taking care of old people.
#2. Instilling the importance of exercise in them: Exercise has its own place in our fitness, no matter how young/old we get. In fact, as we get old, the importance of exercise only increases. So for the sake of mobility, bone strength and various other benefits it’s critically important for elders to exercise regularly. You should try to install the importance of exercise in them. Given below are the exercise requirements for elderly people:
- 30 minutes of moderately intense (i.e. swimming, biking, running, walking etc.) exercise per day;
- If you’re going to indulge in intense exercises (the ones that elevate heart rate and increase the rate of breathing), 20 minutes per day will be enough. And that too on alternate days (i.e. 3 days in a week).
- Flexibility exercise (i.e. stretching, yoga etc.) for 10 minutes per day.
Also keep in mind that weight strengthening exercises (I.e. free weights, resistance bands and body weight) should not be done on consecutive days in old age. There must be a gap of at least one day between them.
Those who don’t exercise can also benefit from being physically active in other ways. For example, Range of Motion exercises can help them maintain the mobility of their joints.
#3. Homemade food: Consumption of fast and junk food is well known to have adverse effects on the health of anyone. And when it comes to health of old people, the effects can be very disturbing. So stick to homemade food for diet of old age people. Less oily and nutrition rich homemade food is critically important for old people to keep them healthy.
Caring Mentally
Along with physical health the mental health of old people also requires extensive care. Here’re a few things that you should do to keep the mental health of old people in check:
#1. Dealing with resistance: The first mental issue that you will have to tackle while taking care of an old person is resistance. Changes that are good for us usually require some work first, which leads to procrastination. And as we get old, that procrastination also turns into resistance. So be prepared to deal with that resistance. Speak to them when you and they both are in a relaxed and cheerful mood. Suggest them the necessary lifestyle changes that they need to stay healthy, and listen to what they say carefully. Even though you may not like to hear what they say, listen patiently. If needed, take help of other family members also. Sometimes friends can help in convincing better than anyone else.
#2. Respect them: This is also a very important thing. Respect is one of those things that all of us crave in life. And when we don’t get that, it hurts a lot. If this happens in old age then it can also lead to psychological trauma and some other medical complication (i.e. depression). So respect the old people.
#3. Help them cope with loneliness: As people get old, they realize that they can’t go wherever they want to meet their relatives and friends. They also realize that other people of their age have also got old, and after retirement settled somewhere else. This loneliness and lack of independence also leads to constant tension and hopelessness. So do everything that you can to reverse these experiences. Take them to friends and relatives wherever you can take them comfortably. Also visit them yourself as frequently as possible.
Conclusion
Doing these things will help a lot in keeping old people happy and healthy. Follow these tips and also share your own tips in the comments.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.
