As I previously shared with you, under Medicare, Mom gets access to Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy for about 8 visits, every 3 months. Most recently I was sharing with the PT that I was frustrated with Mom's lack of movement. For as long as I can remember, Mom has chosen to be sedentary. Research is starting to show that being sedentary is worse or equal to you health as smoking.
I am fully aware how old my mother is and she does have some legitimate health concerns, but the fact of the matter is, she cannot live here in this home once she needs assistance to go to the bathroom. I physically cannot transfer her and the bathroom isn't large enough for two people. So what do we do? The PT recommended a personal trainer for Mom to come in and supplement in between the physical therapy sessions. This is how we found Josh! Not only is Josh a personal trainer who works primarily with elder clients, but he is a caregiver at a memory care! Double whammy!
Josh visits with Mom three times a week for 30 minutes and works on cardio, building endurance, strength training, and stretching her joints. Happily Mom is responding quite well to Josh's guidance and she improving tremendously! They even go on walks down the street! Josh is going to start incorporating water aerobics at the neighborhood pool too. The goal is to get Mom functionally fit, meaning, get her to keep her mobility and strength for as long as possible so she can have a positive quality of life.
Physical exercise is not only good for heart health but for the brain as well! If you are in a situation with an older family member who needs assistance with moving, I highly recommend bringing on the various therapists. Also, there is a cool program for Seniors called Silver Sneakers and can be found nationwide.
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