How Memory Care Communities Encourage Safe Movement and Exercise
Mobility and activity levels may decline as dementia progresses, but regular exercise and movement remain beneficial for your loved one. Simple physical activities can promote mobility, balance, strength, and overall wellness. Memory care communities provide routines and supervision to help ensure that movement is safely incorporated into daily life.
It’s helpful to know how communities keep residents moving when you’re searching for the right memory care home. Read on to learn how memory care communities encourage safe movement, tailor activities to each ability level, and mitigate common risks.
How Do Memory Care Communities Encourage Safe Movement and Exercise?
Memory care communities promote safe mobility through exercise programs, supervised walks, balance activities, and routines tailored to each resident’s ability. Trained staff can modify activities to meet changing mobility needs and ensure that residents receive help or use mobility devices as needed. Memory care homes can also design safe walking areas and monitor movement while watching for fatigue or pain. All these steps allow residents to engage in physical activity while minimizing safety risks.
Creates Structured Daily Movement Routines
When activity becomes part of a daily routine, it may become easier for your loved one to exercise. Activity programs may provide set times for short walks, stretching, or other movement each day. When activities occur at the same time each day, it helps your loved one know what to expect. This can prevent confusion about when to start moving.
It’s also possible to combine exercise with existing daily schedules. For example, taking a walk after breakfast or participating in gentle stretches before an afternoon activity. Brief sessions throughout the day may even be better than more strenuous activity. Staff can also modify how long or how much movement is required if your loved one is tired or not feeling well.
Offers Exercise Programs Suited to Different Abilities
Your loved one may have different abilities than other residents. As such, exercise programs should not take a one-size-fits-all approach. Activity staff can provide movement options that meet residents at their level of ability. While one resident may be able to join in a walking or standing exercise, another may need to stay seated.
Movements can also be modified to make them easier by limiting the number of steps or slowing the pace. Staff can take your loved one’s abilities into consideration before suggesting an activity. This allows your loved one to participate without doing difficult movements that may cause frustration.
Provides Supervised Walking Opportunities
Wandering might be something you worry about if your loved one is dealing with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia. However, taking walks outside can provide the stimulation and exercise needed, so many memory care communities create secure environments that actually increase freedom and reduce wandering.
Memory care communities secure all exterior doors and closely monitor entry points to prevent residents from leaving unnoticed. Some communities provide gardens or outdoor spaces intended to discourage wandering.
Incorporate Movement Into Everyday Activities
Staying active doesn’t always mean hitting the gym. Your loved one can stay active by incorporating movement into everyday tasks. Staff members can also suggest that residents walk to meals when possible, garden, assist with setting up for an activity, or walk to another area of the community. Simple changes like these can increase overall movement without feeling like exercise.
Another great way to incorporate movement is for caregivers to allow your loved one to do as much of a task as they can on their own. This allows them to stay active while doing what they are used to and lets staff know when they need help.
Adapt Exercises to Changing Mobility Levels
Mobility levels can change over time, so your loved one’s exercise program may need to change too. What was once an easy activity can become too challenging if your loved one experiences a decline in balance, strength, coordination, or endurance.
Caregivers can adjust the number of repetitions required, slow the pace of the activity, provide support, or switch from standing exercises to seated ones. Your loved one’s gait and ability to perform familiar movements will also give clues about their mobility. If their abilities change, exercises can be adjusted to focus on what they can still do.
Encourage Participation Through Enjoyable Activities
Your loved one might be more likely to move if exercise is paired with an activity they already enjoy. Dancing to music or participating in group activities like gardening or games can help them walk, reach, stand, or utilize coordinated movements. If your loved one tells staff about an activity they enjoy, caregivers can use that knowledge to help them exercise in a less formal manner.
Familiar tunes could get them moving to a beat, and a favorite outdoor pursuit might inspire them to wander through the neighborhood. Activities should be tailored to their abilities and supervised as needed. Having fun is important, but your loved one’s safety while moving takes priority over finishing a task.
Provide Safe Spaces for Walking and Movement
The way a space is designed can either encourage your loved one to get up and move or inadvertently put them at risk. Memory care homes often have wide, well-lit pathways for residents to walk. They also feature non-slip flooring and plenty of areas to sit down, which can reduce your loved one’s risk of falling as they move around.
Other adaptations, such as removing unnecessary furniture and adding handrails, can also allow your loved one to move freely while still providing support when needed. Memory care staff can help direct wanderers to safe places where they can walk around without disturbing community members.
Use Mobility Aids When Appropriate
When a resident needs a cane, walker, or similar assistive device, staff can help them stay active by integrating the device into their routines rather than seeing it as a limitation. Staff can remind your loved one to use their mobility device when necessary and help them with transitions like getting up or sitting down, and when moving through tricky spots.
They can also learn how your loved one moves with the aid and identify when they may need additional support. It’s important that your loved one’s mobility aids are fitted correctly and used as their healthcare provider advised. Staff can also ensure walkways are clear so your loved one has ample space to move with the aid.
Looking for a Memory Care Community That Supports Safe Movement? Schedule a Tour at Brennity at Tradition
Regular movement can help your loved one stay mobile and participate more comfortably in daily life. Memory care can create a safe space for physical activity by establishing routines, offering appropriate exercises, providing supervision, and designing spaces that allow easy movement throughout the day. When touring communities, inquire about how staff members will tailor activities to changing abilities and accommodate residents who require mobility assistance.
If you are looking for memory care homes in Port St. Lucie where your loved one can stay active in a safe and supportive environment, look no further than Brennity at Tradition. Schedule a tour today to see our community environment firsthand and learn how we encourage movement and exercise for our residents living with dementia.
