5 Ways to Help Your Aging Loved One Maintain Muscle Strength during a Pandemic

24 Jan 5 Ways to Help Your Aging Loved One Maintain Muscle Strength during a Pandemic

Working as a home health Physical Therapist during this pandemic, one of the things that I have noticed occurring most in our aging loved ones, is generalized muscle weakness.   

This month marks one year to the date, that the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the United States.  Given that those 65 years old and above as well as those with pre existing conditions like obesity, asthma, diabetes, and heart disease were considered to be amongst the most vulnerable, all of our Seniors obviously fell into this category.  

In early Spring of 2020, “Stay at Home,” orders were initiated.  At that time, the general population knew very little about this virus.  I, personally, can recall the amount of fear that many of my patients experienced.  Along with that, I can recall the great amount of responsibility that I felt to protect them.

Here in Florida, retirement communities are a THING! They are usually busy, active, and filled with life.  At any time of day, you could find Seniors walking, biking, on their golf carts headed to play BINGO, spending time in the pool, or even on the shuffleboard/tennis courts.  

For those that are not fans of quite as much exercise, even they would attend church, run errands, or organize luncheons/breakfast meetups with friends.  

So, I am sure that you can easily imagine what happens when these individuals are instructed to stay home or self isolate.  Not only did many of them become lonely, but remember the saying, “If you don’t lose it, you lose it?” Yes, that is exactly what I witnessed.  

Our Seniors became less active overnight.  Many of them, like most of us, sat in their chairs all day and became glued to their television for updates as to what was happening with this virus.  They did not leave their homes. Their diets changed.  They became less active.  They began to lose their muscle strength…and some even began to experience falls.  

What can you do to help your Senior Maintain their Strength?

Now that we are one year in, here are a few recommendations that I would like to give based upon my experiences.  

1. If there has been a change in their condition, schedule a followup with their primary care physician and request Home Health Physical and/or Occupational Therapy.  This service is covered by Medicare in the US if they are indeed homebound, require a skill, and it is deemed necessary by their doctor.  
2.  Encourage daily walks if they are able to.  This can be done outside, with a walker or cane, if needed, or even inside of their homes.  Encourage them to walk for time.  For example, they could walk for 2 consecutive mins for one week and then increase this to 5 mins next week.
3. Encourage your loved one to do chair exercises.  They can find these on YouTube or you can even video call them and guide them through movements.
4.  Encourage them to complete SIT TO STAND exercises.  Yes, it is as easy as it sounds.  Have them to stand up and sit down multiple times a day.  This can be done from a recliner, at the kitchen sink, with them holding onto the sink for balance, and even on the commode.  This simple exercise activates large muscle groups in their legs, engages their core, and even uses some upper body muscles as well.
5. Other activities to engage muscle strength includes standing to do chores, sitting in a wheelchair and completing activities of daily living.  Laughing with a friend or family member really has a great way of engaging the abdominals.  Singing, dancing, and participating in other hobbies within their homes may help as well.

The trick here is to be creative and think outside of the box.  Instead of focusing on what they cannot do, let’s focus on what they can. Helping our Seniors maintain their muscle strength increases their confidence, decreases their risk for falls as well as most hospitalizations.  

Should  you need more ideas that are specific to your particular situation, we would love to hear from you in the comments below or even for a one on one consultation at HappilyEver After Senior Living.