As a caregiver, one of the things that you’re focused on is keeping your senior safe and healthy. Chair exercises are a great way to meet both of those goals.
Leg Lifts
Leg lifts are going to help strengthen your senior’s thigh muscles. From a seated position, she should have her feet flat on the floor. This means that the chair should be one that allows her feet to sit squarely on the floor. One at a time, your senior should start to lift the foot and extend it until the leg is straight. She can hold that for a second or two and then lower it back down. She can repeat these on each leg for five or ten repetitions, depending on her current strength levels.
Toe and Heel Lifts
Toe lifts and heel lifts work slightly different parts of your senior’s legs. Toe lifts work on the thighs while heel lifts work her calf muscles. For both, your senior should be sitting straight up in a chair with her feet flat on the floor. For toe lifts, she should simply raise her toes off the floor, leaving her heels on the floor. Hold the stretch briefly and then return to the starting position. Heel lifts are similar but use the heel instead of the toes.
Knee Raises
Knee raises help to work the front of your senior’s hip, where the hip flexor is. This is a really important spot in terms of walking and standing safely. From a seated position with feet flat on the floor, your senior should just lift her knee has high as she can without twisting her body. Do several repetitions on each side.
Arm Raises
Lifting her arms helps your senior to keep her shoulders and upper back limber, which can help when she’s balancing. While seated in the chair, your senior can do a few different kinds of arm raises. She can lift them straight out to her sides or straight out in front of herself. She can also bend her elbows and do curls to work her biceps. Light hand weights can help to make these a little more challenging for her.
Moving from Sitting to Standing
One other very helpful chair exercise is simply to move from a seated position to a standing one several times. This helps to strengthen all of the different muscles involved in standing and walking, which are the muscles your senior needs to hang onto. Doing this several times a day can be very helpful for your senior.
Always talk to your senior’s doctor before starting her on any exercise program to make sure it’s right for her.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING CAREGIVERS IN BOLDER CITY, NV, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT GOLDEN HEART SENIOR CARE OF SUMMERLIN. 702-800-4616.