Elder Care Awareness: Sitting Disease
Elder Care in Fredrick County VA
You likely already know the importance of getting enough exercise and how dangerous it can be to live a sedentary lifestyle, but if you are like many family caregivers, you do not truly understand
the extent of the dangers that your senior parents could be facing if they spend a considerable amount of their days sitting. Referring to this type of behavior as a “sedentary lifestyle” sounds like an unpleasant and unhealthy, but relatively inconsequential lifestyle choice. According to medical experts, however, spending a considerable amount of your day sitting is not a lifestyle choice, but a disease.
Known as “sitting disease”, the phenomenon of spending hours of the day sitting is dramatically diminishing health and quality of life, and is even cutting down on people’s life expectancy. Unlike the concept of a sedentary lifestyle, sitting disease can have serious lasting consequences even if you engage in moderate exercise regularly.
According to the Mayo Clinic, as much as 70 percent of the population spends six or more hours of the day sitting, and as much as 35 percent of the population spends four or more hours of the day sitting watching television. A study by Northwestern University showed that sitting disease has major implications for future physical functioning, including dramatically increased risk of disability, heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, mobility and balance issues, circulation problems, and musculoskeletal problems.
Fortunately, just because your aging parents are victims of sitting disease now does not mean that they can never regain their health. Some of the ways that you and your parents’ elderly health care services provider can help get your parents up, reduce their sitting, and make their lifestyle healthier and more fulfilling include:
• Encourage more walking. It is easy to fall into the habit of using a wheelchair or scooter for your aging loved ones if they show difficulty with mobility or balance problems. Sitting in a wheelchair for mobility, however, is still sitting. If your seniors have the capability, encourage them to get up and walk as much as possible. Be sure that you or an elderly health care services provider is available to provider support and assistance, and keep the wheelchair nearby for when they cannot walk any longer.
• Try active video games. Playing video games together is a fantastic way to stimulate their minds and get your parents thinking critically, using their memory skills, and spending more time interacting with you, your children, and their care provider, but that does not mean that they have to spend all of their playtime sitting on the couch. Instead, invest in a gaming system that requires physical activity to operate, such as a Wii or Kinect.
• Go on outings. As much as possible, go on outings with your seniors, or encourage their care providers to plan these experiences as well. Outings gives you the opportunity to experience new things, interact with others, and stay more physically active while making wonderful memories. Look for outings such as science and history museums, zoos, art exhibits, and aquariums that are fun and engaging, but also adaptable for seniors with mobility issues.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring a professional elder care in Fredrick County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care. Call Us Today at (703) 369-6677. Serving Northern Virginia, The Valley, and Surrounding Communities
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/sitting-disease/bgp-20056238
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