FITNESS & EXERCISE


Support workers do a fantastic job and their temptation to feel protective of those in our care is natural, such as ensuring they don’t overexert themselves or cause themselves an injury. As exercise specialists, it’s our role to train teams as to how they can incorporate fitness into customers’ everyday living.


Where in-house expertise isn’t available, engage a local personal trainer or gym with expertise in working with older people and invite them to lead talks and provide ideas. We’re a passionate bunch, so it will be pleasantly surprising to find we’re more than willing to impart our vocation with others.


EVERYDAY EXERCISE In terms of ideas, it’s a case of figuring out what works for


individuals, oſten with some trial and error.


Making a cup of tea is a great example of light exercise with the potential for tremendous benefits. Having to navigate a kitchen, moving in different directions, achieves a full range of movement. Twisting the tea bag jar, pulling open the cutlery drawer, liſting the kettle – there are many different movements serving to help fine motor skills and dexterity. Building this into a care plan could come in the form of aiming to make one cup of tea per day, for example.


Stairs are another valuable tool many will have access to. A form of body weight resistance training, stair walking can be done at a person’s own pace and engages all the major muscles in the lower body, whilst supporting centre of balance. It also assists with ankle, knee and hip stability and proprioception (the brain’s awareness of where the body is in space and time).


Other ideas are drawn from housework activities: making the bed, folding clothes, and washing vegetables all offer fitness benefits, plus, the sense of fulfilment that comes from achieving something cannot be underestimated.


FITNESS FUN We have a manager who invites


customers to join her for meetings; simply sitting and paying attention supports core body strength and maintaining an upright position, whilst note-taking or gesticulating gives limbs a workout.


Walking around the building, or locally if you can accompany your customer further afield, is another avenue to explore. Wheelchair users can be encouraged to move themselves for short periods to aid their upper body strength.


Being outdoors among nature can promote positive mental wellbeing whilst receiving doses of vitamin D. Similarly, gardening is also a fantastic hobby, even if the customer is observing and directing more than being hands-on. Again, approaching a local garden centre may prove fruitful if tools, plants and expertise are needed.


For those less comfortable working one-to-one, group activities can prove to be a great way to engage. Sitting in a circle, taking part in chair-based exercises,


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listening to appropriate music and being in a social setting allows customers to experience the emotional benefit of exercise.


MOTIVATION MISSION If customers are living with dementia, they’ll be indifferent towards exercise, oſten with little or no desire to be physically active. However, the less someone moves, the more tired they become. When muscle fibres are engaged, energy and neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, are released, giving that person a positive physiological influence on their emotion and motivation, as well as food and fluid intake. It’s therefore imperative to employ creative strategies to get customers moving.


Tapping into their lives may provide success. For example, we have a gentleman who wouldn’t enter the fitness suite. In his career he was a war pilot, so we created a narrative around using the equipment with the aim of ‘fixing’ it, while using an on-screen flight simulation programme to set the scene. He really engaged as we praised him for helping us achieve our mission. Though it may have felt a little far-fetched to us, the end goal of supporting his health was always in sight – and that is what matters.


REAPING REWARDS Science has long evidenced the link between being physically active and living a healthy, happy life, and its role in preventing falls and aiding rehabilitation is just as invaluable. Our bodies are designed to move. Therefore, we should aim to avoid sedentary lifestyles as much as possible and help older people to embrace even the smallest opportunities throughout the day to keep active and access the benefits exercise has to offer.


www.belong.org.uk


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