Can an Exercise Group Work for Your Elderly Loved One?

Elderly Care in Culver City CA

Your loved one needs at least a little bit of exercise in order to stay healthy. As a family caregiver, you do a lot for your elderly loved one, but you can’t provide all of the social interaction that she needs. Participating in a group exercise program allows her to make friends and it can even inspire her to stick to her exercise program more effectively. Here are some of the many benefits that joining a group for exercise can provide your loved one.

Accountability in a Group

If your loved one has a group of friends who count on her for joining in on exercise routines, then she’s much more likely to stick with exercising. It’s also more likely that she’ll find exercising to be fun. She can find support in a group that is difficult to find when exercising on her own.

A Little Bit of Competition

As your loved one participates in group exercise, there’s a subtle mental exercise at play as well. We all try to compete with others when we’re in a group setting, and your elderly loved one is not exempt. She’ll find that it’s easier to stay on track with her exercise plan when she has friends that are doing the same.

Socialization is Easier

If your loved one has a hard time making friends, then exercising in a group is a great way for her to socialize. When she makes friends with the people in her exercise group, exercising becomes less like work and becomes more fun. Your loved one can relearn the fun and play that exercise can be.

Finding Exercise Groups for Your Loved One

The local senior centers are great places to start looking for exercise groups for your elderly loved one. Local gyms also often have classes for elderly clients, so that is another place to look. If you’re still having trouble finding a good fit for an exercise group for your loved one, consider talking to her medical team. They can give you other ideas for groups to join.

Helping your loved one find the right exercise group to join isn’t as difficult as it might first seem, and it can have huge benefits for her both physically and emotionally.

If you or an aging loved one needs elder care services in Culver City, CA, call Livewell Private Care at (310) 933-4986.  Servicing Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding areas.

Source
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/older_adults/index.htm