As the years progress, mobility is one of those functions in your body that tend to take a hit. Due to a variety of reasons, it becomes harder and harder to move around as easily as we used to. One of the principal reasons why this happens is joint issues, although bone health could also play a large role in this. There is also brain health, as the brain helps us maintain our balance while moving. Any problem in these areas can lead to mobility issues. This article tells you how independent living communities help your loved one maintain mobility.
Living An Active Lifestyle
One factor influencing how mobile we are is our muscle and core strength. At the heart of it, this helps determine how easily we move and coordinate. Living a sedentary life, therefore, does great harm to our mobility. This is why assisted living communities go to great lengths to ensure residents enjoy an active lifestyle. Through activities and events, residents of assisted living communities can avoid a sedentary lifestyle, which helps to ensure that they remain highly mobile. Assisted living communities also allow residents to get involved in hobbies and other leisure activities that contribute to their well-being. For example, while a hobby such as photography may not sound very active, it requires lots of movement, especially photographing the outdoors.
Exercises
Related to the idea of avoiding a sedentary lifestyle is purposely exercising to maintain muscle strength. Assisted living communities have a variety of health activities that professionals run. These are aimed at helping your loved one build muscle strength and balance. Activities such as yoga promote a better sense of coordination and balance. Your loved one will likely enjoy better mobility through exercise.
Better Diet
What we eat greatly impacts our health, including our mobility. Bone health, for example, is directly influenced by our calcium levels. We don’t get enough calcium, we cannot be healthy enough to maintain our bone strength and balance. For this reason, it is critical for residents of senior living communities to eat healthy food. The good news s that senior living communities provide excellent dining amenities for residents. This means that residents can get great food in a restaurant without having to prepare the food themselves. If a resident has special dietary considerations, our world-class chefs will work creatively along the dietary regulations to ensure that your loved one gets the nutrition they need.
Safety
While medical problems account for a certain proportion of mobility issues, it is important not to disregard the role that accidents and related injuries play in mobility issues. Slips and falls are the most common injuries among this demographic and can cause mobility issues. Assisted living communities go to great lengths to ensure that the communities are safe for the residents. Safety features such as grab bars ad non-slip floors all play a role in keeping the resident safe from injury and thus very mobile.