What's the secret to maintaining your independence as you age? It's simpler than you might think. Mobility equals freedom, and in this kickoff episode of our "Healthy Aging: Living Well at Every Stage" series, we dive deep into practical strategies for staying active, independent, and safe throughout the aging process.
Did you know that adults lose 3-5% of muscle mass each decade after age 30? This gradual decline makes movement increasingly essential as we grow older. The good news? Just 15 minutes of daily physical activity can dramatically reduce mortality rates, extend life expectancy, and even cut Alzheimer's risk by up to 50%. Whether through chair exercises, gentle resistance training, or simple walking, consistent movement builds the strength and balance necessary to prevent falls and maintain independence.
We debunk the harmful myth that falls are an inevitable part of aging. One in four adults over 65 falls each year, but most of these incidents are preventable with proper strength training and home safety modifications. Falls often become devastating turning points that dramatically reduce quality of life and independence, making prevention absolutely crucial. We share practical home safety tips like removing clutter, installing grab bars, improving lighting, and wearing proper footwear – small changes that make big differences.
For caregivers struggling to support aging loved ones who resist help, we offer strategies for encouraging movement and independence while ensuring safety. Remember that adaptive tools like walkers and canes aren't signs of weakness – they're powerful tools that extend independence. Being proactive rather than reactive about aging allows for early intervention and better outcomes. Start small today with just one positive change, and join us for our next episode on brain health and preventing memory loss!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody and welcome back to the Journey Out
podcast.
Today we have a new series thatwe want to get into, so let's
just hop right in.
What is home care?
How do I navigate health care?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
What do I do when I feel down and depressed?
I'm stressed.
Am I enough?
What?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
can I do?
What is this going to cost?
Okay, before we hop into ourfirst series that we're going to
present to you guys today, Iwant to make sure that you guys
are following us on all socialmedia platforms so you can get
all of us on YouTube, facebook,instagram, wherever, at the
Journey Out Podcast.
(00:37):
On Instagram, it's the JourneyOut Pod, but just be sure to
follow us, like, comment,subscribe to our YouTube channel
.
That way, you don't missanything that we talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And if the content is good, share it.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Absolutely Share it.
If you get value fromeverything that we talk about,
please share it to someone whocould benefit from it, because,
again, the reason why we'redoing this is because we are
journeying out Exodus from onespot to the next, and so, in
order to do that, we have tohave a team, a community, and be
able to kind of share content.
That makes that journey alittle bit easier.
(01:10):
So, with that being said, we'regoing into our very first
series, and this series iscalled Healthy Aging Living Well
at Every Stage, and so, on thisepisode, what we want to talk
about is how to stay active andindependent as you age, and I
know that is a really hard thingfor a lot of caregivers right
now who are caring for theirloved one and they're aging and
they're like girl, I'm notexercising or I'm not going
(01:33):
outside, and so we have toremember that staying active
keeps us independent as we age,but also mobility equals freedom
.
A lot of times we have familiesthat come to us and, of course,
we do the home care side.
Of times, we have families thatcome to us and, of course, we
do the home care side, and so wehave families like I don't need
nobody here Five hours a day orevery single day.
I don't need anybody here, Ican do it on my own.
(01:55):
I've done it on my own all thistime.
But as we age, we tend torealize that we get weakness.
Statistics show that after age30, that you know we get
weakness.
Uh, statistics show that afterage 30, adults lose three to
five percent of muscle mass perdecade, making making movement
just more essential to oureveryday life.
So, with that being said, ifyou don't want anyone in your
home and you want to be able tocare for yourself and be as
(02:16):
independent as possible, we haveto start moving well, I'm
guilty.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
All right, I need to exercise.
Um, it's, it's, it's.
I guess you need to be.
Uh, what's the word?
Right, I'm looking forproactive proactive, intentional
and disciplined that's the wordyou have to be disciplined on
your day-to-day and what youneed want to do yeah, to make
your make longevity in your life, to make you healthier right
(02:43):
right like you said, a lot ofpeople that we take care of and
serve they say, hey, I don'tneed help, right, five hours a
day, four hours a day, what theygonna do during this time.
Well, that helped for that.
Four hours a day, what thatdoes.
We're not trying to take awayyour independent right.
No, we're trying to enhance thequality of life.
(03:04):
Yeah, and we're trying to keepyou independent as long as
possible, with that assistanceof serving you on a daily basis.
Right, with that being said,there's no need to be afraid,
there's no need to be ashamed,right, there's no need to worry
about it, right?
These things that we're goingto tell you today, according and
also with this series, is goingto help you in the long run.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
It will.
It's important that, as acaregiver, you're encouraging
your loved one to continue tohave movement because if they
can grow stronger bones andstronger muscles which lower the
risk of falls and fractures.
A lot of times when we'recoming into the homes, we're
coming in because of thoseinstances Mom or dad had a fall,
(03:47):
mom or dad broke their hip orwhatever that may have been.
Well, what kind of seems to goin one ear and out the other is,
if something like that happens,your independence has been
taken away from you.
You're no longer able to livethat quality of life that you
had before that incident.
Right, and so, because of that,if you have, be preventative,
(04:11):
be proactive.
We can increase your likelihoodof lowering those risk of falls
, because falls does not don'thappen because of your age.
Everybody does not fall justbecause they're 65 and older.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
And you just said uh, 30 percent uh yeah uh, 30.
Adults over 30, yeah, losethree to five percent of their
muscle mass exactly so it's it's, it's something that's is
inevitable.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
You can't really control it, uh, but there's
things you can do.
Getting moving, getting active,that can reduce that also.
You have better cardiovascularhealth so it can reduce the risk
of heart disease if you get outand start to move.
I know a lot of our seniorstoday are dealing with copd and
and heart disease and just allof these different other things
that can combine into one, uh,and so it's really important to
(04:56):
just get out and start moving.
It also improves flexibilityand balance, so better posture
and coordination oh, that's oneof the big things that falls
well, this is from on me rightnow, you know, I cannot even
cross my legs any.
Instead, yeah, because again youlose you get stiff.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
And you, if you say kind of sedentary yeah, you get,
and if you don't, if you don'tuse it, you lose it.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
That is true, uh, we do see that a lot of times with
our bed bound clients, rightright If they're in the bed, and
so let's talk about this, sinceI'm bringing that up.
A fall occurs, right.
So say, for instance, youdidn't break anything, just
lethal, right, it's okay, you'refine.
(05:42):
But you have a fall in and nowyou're in a position where
you're at the hospital.
Where are you?
In a hospital bed.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You're in there, probably about a week, maybe two
weeks, depending on theseverity of that fall, and then
they say you need to go to rehab, right, and go to rehab and
exercise.
Okay, now you're in the.
And then they say you need toget, go to rehab and go to rehab
and exercise Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Now you're in the rehab, where are you?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Where are you again?
You're in the hospital.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, you're in the hospital bed and rehab.
They try to get you up and bemore active, but you're in the
hospital bed.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Sometimes what we have seen is after that fall
after that rehab stint it is somuch harder for them to get
their quality of life back andget that strength back that they
are now confined in some casesright, and so because of that,
with that they're not, it's hardfor them to sit up on their own
, so now they aren't able to getinto a sitting position like
the laying position.
It works best because they'renot strong enough to sit up on
their own so it really isimportant that we are exercising
(06:41):
and improving our flexibilityand balance, because, one you
know, for the balance piece,it'll stop those falls, but also
in the in the event somethingwere to happen, you can spring
back a little faster right andshout out to those uh rehabs and
hospitals that that's doing awonderful job.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
yeah, but in this, in this case, like she's saying,
hey, one thing happened that canchange your quality of life
Right One fall.
It don't have to be major, butit can change your quality of
life to where you're not asindependent as you once was.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Absolutely.
And then the last thing it cando is improve your mental health
.
So you get a big mental healthboost.
You lower your risk ofdepression and dementia.
So there is a fact that regularphysical activity can reduce
the risk of alzheimer's by 50and extend life expectancy by
several years.
And so again, that's justsimply doing what chair
(07:32):
exercises but check this out.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
So it you said with the alzheimer's piece.
So it also say just 15 minutesa day can reduce immortality and
increase your odds of livinglonger with the health of your
life.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Especially after 60.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
That's good, and it's really.
And it's not like we're askingyou to go run a marathon or
encouraging your loved one to goout and jog up and down the
street.
No, like, literally, as you ageage, you aren't able to do
certain things.
So there's things that you canincorporate, or simple exercises
that can maintain the mobilityand the strength of your loved
one, uh, rather than just likeexhausting them, you know so one
(08:11):
of those would be chair uhchair exercises, especially
those who have limited mobility,like it's super important to
meet them where they're at.
Like I can't tell my 83 year oldgrandmother let's go sprint
around the track.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Let's go bench press 350 like we can't do that, so
you have to meet them wherethey're at, so with our grandma.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
What we do is chair exercises, so seated leg lifts,
or the arm circles you know thatthey do or like marching in
place, things like that.
You just keep your body goingand trying to maintain their
mobility and strength.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
And also that can help your balance, especially
with your core.
Right, that helps you Right.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
But say, for instance , you have a loved one that is
kind of a little bit more active.
They're able to get around,able to move.
Maybe now they can do some bodyweight strength training.
So maybe there are some squatsto a chair, so they're like
standing up and they'resquatting into a chair, or maybe
they can just push off the walland do some wall push-ups, or
maybe they're even someresistant band uh exercise.
They can do like have the bandand just go like this and move
(09:08):
it around, and things like that.
That's super important.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Um again, building mobility and building the
strength and let's go from herejust say, for instance god
forbid, you have had a fall, youcan get physical therapy right
to come in home health physicaltherapy to come in and assist
you with some physical therapyat home, where they start their
exercises and help your lovedone on their day-to-day to
strengthen themselves, to getback to uh some uh level of
(09:34):
independence right also, let'sgo to the home care side.
The home care side when you haveuh caregivers, come in to help
and assist you with activities aday to live in.
They can also do some exerciseswith you, like this chair
exercises could be great yeah uh.
Also, if you didn't know, it'sapps out there, right, if you're
at home, it's apps out therethat can help you with your
(09:54):
daily exercises.
One is muscle build booster app, uh.
Then another one is workoutoutfor Older Adults.
These apps are great for you.
Please do your own research onthem to see which one benefits
you the best, yeah, and theneven like YouTube too.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
They have wonderful senior exercises and stuff like
that, so you can always findsomething.
But speaking of like whenphysical therapy or home care is
coming in to assist with this.
they can help with things withbalance and stability.
So maybe that's like standingon one foot or the heel to wall
or Tai Chi or something Ifthey're able to do it, they can
do that or stretchingflexibility.
(10:31):
So just make sure they have agood stretching routine and
things like that, just so theycan still be nimble limber.
What is the word Limber right,is it?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
limber, nimble, nimble.
That's the word, one of thewords.
You know what I'm trying to say.
You know what we're saying.
We're trying to be flexible.
Okay, that's what we're tryingto say More flexible.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
So, again, doing it about 10 to 15 minutes a day can
have big impact on them, and soit, and that we're continuing
to do that.
But I think one of the bigthings that we face in general
is avoiding falls and injuries.
I think that's something bigthat we see all the time.
A lot of times when we'recoming to a situation, a fall
(11:10):
has happened and so we're kindof behind the eight ball now.
So now we're trying to repairwhat already has happened, and
so for that I want to give somesafety tips for our family,
caregivers and for the lovedones who are listening, that
could help kind of avoid thosefalls and injuries.
Do you or your loved one know ofsomeone who needs a home safety
assessment?
(11:30):
Well, look no further.
Pc Home Health is here for you.
Do you want to stay at home andage in place safely?
We got just the thing for you.
Our safety evaluation includesinside, outside the home,
laundry rooms, bedrooms, attics,kitchens, lighting, fire safety
you name it.
We can do it.
So please give us a call at214-991-5619 and get your home
(11:52):
safety assessment scheduledtoday.
Again, your loved one needs tobe safe in their home, and if
they want to age in place we canhelp them do it safely.
Be proactive, not reactive um,so for home safety, uh, I would
definitely want to removeclutter first, uh, and also tack
down any loose rugs, if theroads can be tacked down.
I know it's just part of thedecor, but you want to give it,
(12:14):
get, uh, get it up because it's,you know, decor, when we want
the home to look nice but at thesame time we want it to be safe
for them.
And if it's just safer to getthe rug up, then do that if it
can be tacked down.
And, you know, flush, uh, flushwith the floor that's good.
Uh.
Also, installing grab bars arelike just a huge game changer.
It's something so small.
Uh, you can get the ones umfrom like the walgreens cvs
(12:37):
walmart, or you can get them uminstalled by like a construction
team or something like thateither way, but they're.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
You have those, uh, sticky lights.
Yeah, you can probably stick onthe wall, put a battery in it
and it's a motion detectionlight that lights as well.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
That's perfect, um, but with those grab bars, you
want them to be in areas wherethey'll need it the most.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Where they were falling is going to be, you know
, it's where falling it happensthe most, so bathrooms yeah,
yeah, bathrooms, uh hallways, If, if you're loving this, getting
up at nighttime, going to thekitchen or to the bathroom or
something like that, Uh, thoseuh a good place to have those.
I like the motion lights, youknow uh accessible to where.
(13:22):
If they walking by, they givethem some light so they can see
where they're going.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Right, right, right and then also wearing the right
shoes.
So non-slip, supportivefootwear for stability is super
important.
We don't want I don't know,some shoes are made different
but there's some shoes whereI'll walk on towel and I'm like
about to slip and I'm like Iknow I have traction, but it's
just not suitable for this floortype, right?
(13:46):
So just making sure that theshoes are non-slip and are
supportive of their feet iftheir feet are hurting.
We don't want to want to putthem in shoes that you know make
their feet hurt or cramp orwhatever you want to make them
feel comfortable, right, butthen we don't want too big of a
shoe as well right, and somepeople do have a bigger size
shoe because of swelling in theankles and the feet Right,
(14:07):
understandable Right.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
But you don't want them too big to where they
flopping off because that couldbe a tripping hazard as well.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
As well.
And then the last thing I wantto kind of cover that's super
important is that if there is afall, your loved one should know
how to get up the correct way,right, right, because it's a
really tricky task.
Sometimes they fall and they'relike, oh, I'm okay, and then
they get up, but they're notgetting up in a proper way and
can fall again, or at that timethey can't actually injure
(14:35):
themselves in the process.
So if there is a fall, it'simportant to remind your loved
ones to stay calm.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Some seniors have as calm as possible.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
yes, yes, calm as possible.
Some seniors have those lifealert necklaces and things like
that.
Some carry their phone on them,but if they're in a position
where they cannot contactanybody, what they want to do is
make sure they roll into theirside If they're not injured,
roll into your side and then usefurniture for support to get
you up.
Now, not just not the little uh, you know tray tables that you
(15:07):
put your food on.
That's not sturdy.
But if there's some good,sturdy furniture that's next to
them, they can get up using thatwith support.
But if you do know that yourloved one deals with falls kind
of frequently and they're notable to, you know they're kind
of weak, they're not able tokind of get up on their own and
things like that to kind of getup on their own and things like
that.
It is very important to havethose like life alert buttons or
(15:27):
something around that canassist them and someone that can
get to them as quickly aspossible possible to get them
off the floor.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Is there some like a life alert?
Watch too, yeah, wristband orsomething.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Technology has come a long way, so there's like
watches and rings and like, butlike just different things that
you can get impressed.
So, but like just differentthings that you can get
impressed.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
So you know they can.
Someone can get alerted thatthey are on the floor and get
them up safely.
And if push comes to shove, leta caregiver be your eyes and
ears Right To assist them and bethere to watch them for you.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Right, and it's just important to know.
Like one in four adults over 65fall each year, but most falls
are preventable with strengthtraining and safety precautions
in place year.
But most falls are preventablewith strength, training and
safety precautions in place.
And so, again, just becausethey're older does not mean
they're going to fall or they'resupposed to fall.
That is a myth.
That's not true.
If falls are occurring, thereis a problem there, and so we
(16:17):
got to make sure that we'relooking at, uh, medication,
possibly vision, possibly thesafety, uh, the safety of the
home, like we have to look atall those different things to
make sure that they're beingsafe and that we can prevent
those falls as much as possible.
So, final tips, any takeawaysthat you want, want to give them
(16:40):
.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Be proactive, yeah, be proactive in your loved ones
care, right, we all get old,right, we all get old.
Right, we all get forgetful, weall lose muscle, they say.
But muscle mass three to fivepercent once we get over the age
of 30.
So, for us, being proactive isstarting to exercise Right,
(17:01):
taking that 10 to 15 minutes aday to do something that's going
to help your body gain itsmuscle or keep its muscle, so it
won't if you lose it.
If you don't use it, you won'tlose it in that way.
Also, again, keep an eye onyour loved ones, on your, on
your, on your grandmothers, onyour mothers and your fathers
(17:23):
and your grandfathers, becauseas they do age, things get a
little complicated balance itcould be off a little bit.
So keep them active also sothey can do things, encourage
them to be active so they can dothings to keep their
independence.
But you, as someone that iswatching that or taking care of
your loved one, you need to beproactive and watch them to say,
(17:45):
ok, hey, is mom and dad doingbetter?
I hear what they say on thephone.
I know they went to the grocerystore the other day and they
drove, but have you gotten inthe car with them and watched
them drive Right?
Have you came in to see themhow they put up the groceries?
All this?
You have to be proactivebecause it's options out there
(18:06):
to help them.
Right, you can have somebodycome in your home and assist
them with these things, drivewith them to get care, I mean to
get groceries, uh, to help themput the groceries up meal prep,
medication, man, the wholegambit.
But you, as uh a son or adaughter that's taking care of a
loved one, you have to beactive as well right and and
(18:27):
also I would just say, to startsmall, I mean you don't.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
you don't have to give them a whole exercise
regimen and get the.
But you know, start small,start small.
Just hey, let's just go on awalk me and you, or you know
time where you guys can bond,but also you can kind of get a
feel of what you were saying,like what is their day-to-day?
Like when do you see that theymay need help?
But I also say, embraceadaptive tools, which is a
really hard thing for ourseniors because again, sometimes
(18:51):
they're like I'm okay.
I don't want my friends to seeme with a walker.
I don't want my friends to seeme with a cane.
I don't want.
But we have to embrace thoseadaptive tools because they're
there to keep us safe.
They're not a sign of weakness.
They're not a sign that you'redifferent from your peers.
They're not a sign of anything.
What it is is you can't getyour life back Right, and so I
(19:13):
might have to use this canearound here, but at least I'm
walking.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
At least you're still independent.
At least I'm still standingRight, At least you're still yes
.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
So that's super important.
So I know a lot of families dodeal with them saying that, and
so we have to remind them.
Hey, your life is worth morethan the potential shame that
you might feel using that tool,but we the potential shame that
you might feel using that tool,but we care about you and we
want you here and you don't wantto.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I would rather you use the Walker or cane.
Uh, because you don't want tohave another fall again, because
that next fall can put youfurther back.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
And they really are a tool of independence.
They that they keep youindependent, and so that's super
important to remember.
But I think overall, we justwant to make sure that what
y'all take away from this is tostay active, make sure that your
loved ones are moving.
You're encouraging your lovedones to move.
Remind them that movement ismedicine.
Also, making sure that we'refocused on balance and strength
(20:07):
training to prevent falls, tomake sure that people are
staying strong and healthy asthey age as best as we can.
Make sure that people arestaying strong and healthy as
they age as best as we can.
Also, that it's important tomake your home as safe as
possible for your loved onestacking down rugs, adding those
grab bars, adding some improvedlighting to kind of make the
space look bigger and they cansee visually.
And just to get started today,do one small thing today.
(20:30):
Go on a walk or do somethinglike that.
That can just encourage thatmovement today.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
And I know this is a lot of information that you
probably get In this series.
You will have more informationthat we're going to be tagging
along.
If you have any questions,please feel free to reach out.
Also, home safety tips that's agreat thing.
Tell them about the home safetytips where, hey, if you feel
like, hey, I want to beproactive, let me make sure my
(20:57):
loved one is living, the home isnot cluttered, the lighting is
right for them, they have a grabbar.
Tell them a little bit aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, so there are home safety assessments that you
can have done on your home,where there is someone coming in
and they can do a full 240point inspection of the home.
They're done by home safetyadvisors.
Antwana and myself are somehome safety advisors and if
you're in the area or you needsomething, reach out.
(21:25):
We can definitely kind of pointyou to in the direction of some
.
But, yes, they can come in anddo a whole 240 point inspection
of your home to ensure it'ssafety for your loved ones and
from there you know you'll get afull breakdown and kind of work
through the process of what'sneeded, what, what can I get
right now?
What can I get started and thenkind of go from there.
But, yeah, so that is a greattool that you want to make sure
(21:47):
that you're utilizing for yourloved ones.
But we have more to go in thisseries.
Next episode we'll be talkingabout brain health and
preventing memory loss.
So please, please, please,stick around, stay tuned, like,
follow, subscribe and share sothat you don't miss any of the
good tips that we have for youguys.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And with that, I hope this information was valuable
to you.
I hope this you now can becomea resource to your family and to
your community.
We thank you all.
We out Bye.
Hello everybody and welcome back to the Journey Out
podcast.
Today we have a new series thatwe want to get into, so let's
just hop right in.
What is home care?
How do I navigate health care?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
What do I do when I feel down and depressed?
I'm stressed.
Am I enough?
What?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
can I do?
What is this going to cost?
Okay, before we hop into ourfirst series that we're going to
present to you guys today, Iwant to make sure that you guys
are following us on all socialmedia platforms so you can get
all of us on YouTube, facebook,instagram, wherever, at the
Journey Out Podcast.
(00:37):
On Instagram, it's the JourneyOut Pod, but just be sure to
follow us, like, comment,subscribe to our YouTube channel
.
That way, you don't missanything that we talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And if the content is good, share it.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Absolutely Share it.
If you get value fromeverything that we talk about,
please share it to someone whocould benefit from it, because,
again, the reason why we'redoing this is because we are
journeying out Exodus from onespot to the next, and so, in
order to do that, we have tohave a team, a community, and be
able to kind of share content.
That makes that journey alittle bit easier.
(01:10):
So, with that being said, we'regoing into our very first
series, and this series iscalled Healthy Aging Living Well
at Every Stage, and so, on thisepisode, what we want to talk
about is how to stay active andindependent as you age, and I
know that is a really hard thingfor a lot of caregivers right
now who are caring for theirloved one and they're aging and
they're like girl, I'm notexercising or I'm not going
(01:33):
outside, and so we have toremember that staying active
keeps us independent as we age,but also mobility equals freedom
.
A lot of times we have familiesthat come to us and, of course,
we do the home care side.
Of times, we have families thatcome to us and, of course, we
do the home care side, and so wehave families like I don't need
nobody here Five hours a day orevery single day.
I don't need anybody here, Ican do it on my own.
(01:55):
I've done it on my own all thistime.
But as we age, we tend torealize that we get weakness.
Statistics show that after age30, that you know we get
weakness.
Uh, statistics show that afterage 30, adults lose three to
five percent of muscle mass perdecade, making making movement
just more essential to oureveryday life.
So, with that being said, ifyou don't want anyone in your
home and you want to be able tocare for yourself and be as
(02:16):
independent as possible, we haveto start moving well, I'm
guilty.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
All right, I need to exercise.
Um, it's, it's, it's.
I guess you need to be.
Uh, what's the word?
Right, I'm looking forproactive proactive, intentional
and disciplined that's the wordyou have to be disciplined on
your day-to-day and what youneed want to do yeah, to make
your make longevity in your life, to make you healthier right
(02:43):
right like you said, a lot ofpeople that we take care of and
serve they say, hey, I don'tneed help, right, five hours a
day, four hours a day, what theygonna do during this time.
Well, that helped for that.
Four hours a day, what thatdoes.
We're not trying to take awayyour independent right.
No, we're trying to enhance thequality of life.
(03:04):
Yeah, and we're trying to keepyou independent as long as
possible, with that assistanceof serving you on a daily basis.
Right, with that being said,there's no need to be afraid,
there's no need to be ashamed,right, there's no need to worry
about it, right?
These things that we're goingto tell you today, according and
also with this series, is goingto help you in the long run.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
It will.
It's important that, as acaregiver, you're encouraging
your loved one to continue tohave movement because if they
can grow stronger bones andstronger muscles which lower the
risk of falls and fractures.
A lot of times when we'recoming into the homes, we're
coming in because of thoseinstances Mom or dad had a fall,
(03:47):
mom or dad broke their hip orwhatever that may have been.
Well, what kind of seems to goin one ear and out the other is,
if something like that happens,your independence has been
taken away from you.
You're no longer able to livethat quality of life that you
had before that incident.
Right, and so, because of that,if you have, be preventative,
(04:11):
be proactive.
We can increase your likelihoodof lowering those risk of falls
, because falls does not don'thappen because of your age.
Everybody does not fall justbecause they're 65 and older.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
And you just said uh, 30 percent uh yeah uh, 30.
Adults over 30, yeah, losethree to five percent of their
muscle mass exactly so it's it's, it's something that's is
inevitable.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
You can't really control it, uh, but there's
things you can do.
Getting moving, getting active,that can reduce that also.
You have better cardiovascularhealth so it can reduce the risk
of heart disease if you get outand start to move.
I know a lot of our seniorstoday are dealing with copd and
and heart disease and just allof these different other things
that can combine into one, uh,and so it's really important to
(04:56):
just get out and start moving.
It also improves flexibilityand balance, so better posture
and coordination oh, that's oneof the big things that falls
well, this is from on me rightnow, you know, I cannot even
cross my legs any.
Instead, yeah, because again youlose you get stiff.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
And you, if you say kind of sedentary yeah, you get,
and if you don't, if you don'tuse it, you lose it.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
That is true, uh, we do see that a lot of times with
our bed bound clients, rightright If they're in the bed, and
so let's talk about this, sinceI'm bringing that up.
A fall occurs, right.
So say, for instance, youdidn't break anything, just
lethal, right, it's okay, you'refine.
(05:42):
But you have a fall in and nowyou're in a position where
you're at the hospital.
Where are you?
In a hospital bed.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You're in there, probably about a week, maybe two
weeks, depending on theseverity of that fall, and then
they say you need to go to rehab, right, and go to rehab and
exercise.
Okay, now you're in the.
And then they say you need toget, go to rehab and go to rehab
and exercise Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Now you're in the rehab, where are you?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Where are you again?
You're in the hospital.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, you're in the hospital bed and rehab.
They try to get you up and bemore active, but you're in the
hospital bed.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Sometimes what we have seen is after that fall
after that rehab stint it is somuch harder for them to get
their quality of life back andget that strength back that they
are now confined in some casesright, and so because of that,
with that they're not, it's hardfor them to sit up on their own
, so now they aren't able to getinto a sitting position like
the laying position.
It works best because they'renot strong enough to sit up on
their own so it really isimportant that we are exercising
(06:41):
and improving our flexibilityand balance, because, one you
know, for the balance piece,it'll stop those falls, but also
in the in the event somethingwere to happen, you can spring
back a little faster right andshout out to those uh rehabs and
hospitals that that's doing awonderful job.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
yeah, but in this, in this case, like she's saying,
hey, one thing happened that canchange your quality of life
Right One fall.
It don't have to be major, butit can change your quality of
life to where you're not asindependent as you once was.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Absolutely.
And then the last thing it cando is improve your mental health
.
So you get a big mental healthboost.
You lower your risk ofdepression and dementia.
So there is a fact that regularphysical activity can reduce
the risk of alzheimer's by 50and extend life expectancy by
several years.
And so again, that's justsimply doing what chair
(07:32):
exercises but check this out.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
So it you said with the alzheimer's piece.
So it also say just 15 minutesa day can reduce immortality and
increase your odds of livinglonger with the health of your
life.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Especially after 60.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
That's good, and it's really.
And it's not like we're askingyou to go run a marathon or
encouraging your loved one to goout and jog up and down the
street.
No, like, literally, as you ageage, you aren't able to do
certain things.
So there's things that you canincorporate, or simple exercises
that can maintain the mobilityand the strength of your loved
one, uh, rather than just likeexhausting them, you know so one
(08:11):
of those would be chair uhchair exercises, especially
those who have limited mobility,like it's super important to
meet them where they're at.
Like I can't tell my 83 year oldgrandmother let's go sprint
around the track.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Let's go bench press 350 like we can't do that, so
you have to meet them wherethey're at, so with our grandma.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
What we do is chair exercises, so seated leg lifts,
or the arm circles you know thatthey do or like marching in
place, things like that.
You just keep your body goingand trying to maintain their
mobility and strength.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
And also that can help your balance, especially
with your core.
Right, that helps you Right.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
But say, for instance , you have a loved one that is
kind of a little bit more active.
They're able to get around,able to move.
Maybe now they can do some bodyweight strength training.
So maybe there are some squatsto a chair, so they're like
standing up and they'resquatting into a chair, or maybe
they can just push off the walland do some wall push-ups, or
maybe they're even someresistant band uh exercise.
They can do like have the bandand just go like this and move
(09:08):
it around, and things like that.
That's super important.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Um again, building mobility and building the
strength and let's go from herejust say, for instance god
forbid, you have had a fall, youcan get physical therapy right
to come in home health physicaltherapy to come in and assist
you with some physical therapyat home, where they start their
exercises and help your lovedone on their day-to-day to
strengthen themselves, to getback to uh some uh level of
(09:34):
independence right also, let'sgo to the home care side.
The home care side when you haveuh caregivers, come in to help
and assist you with activities aday to live in.
They can also do some exerciseswith you, like this chair
exercises could be great yeah uh.
Also, if you didn't know, it'sapps out there, right, if you're
at home, it's apps out therethat can help you with your
(09:54):
daily exercises.
One is muscle build booster app, uh.
Then another one is workoutoutfor Older Adults.
These apps are great for you.
Please do your own research onthem to see which one benefits
you the best, yeah, and theneven like YouTube too.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
They have wonderful senior exercises and stuff like
that, so you can always findsomething.
But speaking of like whenphysical therapy or home care is
coming in to assist with this.
they can help with things withbalance and stability.
So maybe that's like standingon one foot or the heel to wall
or Tai Chi or something Ifthey're able to do it, they can
do that or stretchingflexibility.
(10:31):
So just make sure they have agood stretching routine and
things like that, just so theycan still be nimble limber.
What is the word Limber right,is it?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
limber, nimble, nimble.
That's the word, one of thewords.
You know what I'm trying to say.
You know what we're saying.
We're trying to be flexible.
Okay, that's what we're tryingto say More flexible.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
So, again, doing it about 10 to 15 minutes a day can
have big impact on them, and soit, and that we're continuing
to do that.
But I think one of the bigthings that we face in general
is avoiding falls and injuries.
I think that's something bigthat we see all the time.
A lot of times when we'recoming to a situation, a fall
(11:10):
has happened and so we're kindof behind the eight ball now.
So now we're trying to repairwhat already has happened, and
so for that I want to give somesafety tips for our family,
caregivers and for the lovedones who are listening, that
could help kind of avoid thosefalls and injuries.
Do you or your loved one know ofsomeone who needs a home safety
assessment?
(11:30):
Well, look no further.
Pc Home Health is here for you.
Do you want to stay at home andage in place safely?
We got just the thing for you.
Our safety evaluation includesinside, outside the home,
laundry rooms, bedrooms, attics,kitchens, lighting, fire safety
you name it.
We can do it.
So please give us a call at214-991-5619 and get your home
(11:52):
safety assessment scheduledtoday.
Again, your loved one needs tobe safe in their home, and if
they want to age in place we canhelp them do it safely.
Be proactive, not reactive um,so for home safety, uh, I would
definitely want to removeclutter first, uh, and also tack
down any loose rugs, if theroads can be tacked down.
I know it's just part of thedecor, but you want to give it,
(12:14):
get, uh, get it up because it's,you know, decor, when we want
the home to look nice but at thesame time we want it to be safe
for them.
And if it's just safer to getthe rug up, then do that if it
can be tacked down.
And, you know, flush, uh, flushwith the floor that's good.
Uh.
Also, installing grab bars arelike just a huge game changer.
It's something so small.
Uh, you can get the ones umfrom like the walgreens cvs
(12:37):
walmart, or you can get them uminstalled by like a construction
team or something like thateither way, but they're.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
You have those, uh, sticky lights.
Yeah, you can probably stick onthe wall, put a battery in it
and it's a motion detectionlight that lights as well.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
That's perfect, um, but with those grab bars, you
want them to be in areas wherethey'll need it the most.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Where they were falling is going to be, you know
, it's where falling it happensthe most, so bathrooms yeah,
yeah, bathrooms, uh hallways, If, if you're loving this, getting
up at nighttime, going to thekitchen or to the bathroom or
something like that, Uh, thoseuh a good place to have those.
I like the motion lights, youknow uh accessible to where.
(13:22):
If they walking by, they givethem some light so they can see
where they're going.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Right, right, right and then also wearing the right
shoes.
So non-slip, supportivefootwear for stability is super
important.
We don't want I don't know,some shoes are made different
but there's some shoes whereI'll walk on towel and I'm like
about to slip and I'm like Iknow I have traction, but it's
just not suitable for this floortype, right?
(13:46):
So just making sure that theshoes are non-slip and are
supportive of their feet iftheir feet are hurting.
We don't want to want to putthem in shoes that you know make
their feet hurt or cramp orwhatever you want to make them
feel comfortable, right, butthen we don't want too big of a
shoe as well right, and somepeople do have a bigger size
shoe because of swelling in theankles and the feet Right,
(14:07):
understandable Right.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
But you don't want them too big to where they
flopping off because that couldbe a tripping hazard as well.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
As well.
And then the last thing I wantto kind of cover that's super
important is that if there is afall, your loved one should know
how to get up the correct way,right, right, because it's a
really tricky task.
Sometimes they fall and they'relike, oh, I'm okay, and then
they get up, but they're notgetting up in a proper way and
can fall again, or at that timethey can't actually injure
(14:35):
themselves in the process.
So if there is a fall, it'simportant to remind your loved
ones to stay calm.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Some seniors have as calm as possible.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
yes, yes, calm as possible.
Some seniors have those lifealert necklaces and things like
that.
Some carry their phone on them,but if they're in a position
where they cannot contactanybody, what they want to do is
make sure they roll into theirside If they're not injured,
roll into your side and then usefurniture for support to get
you up.
Now, not just not the little uh, you know tray tables that you
(15:07):
put your food on.
That's not sturdy.
But if there's some good,sturdy furniture that's next to
them, they can get up using thatwith support.
But if you do know that yourloved one deals with falls kind
of frequently and they're notable to, you know they're kind
of weak, they're not able tokind of get up on their own and
things like that to kind of getup on their own and things like
that.
It is very important to havethose like life alert buttons or
(15:27):
something around that canassist them and someone that can
get to them as quickly aspossible possible to get them
off the floor.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Is there some like a life alert?
Watch too, yeah, wristband orsomething.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Technology has come a long way, so there's like
watches and rings and like, butlike just different things that
you can get impressed.
So, but like just differentthings that you can get
impressed.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
So you know they can.
Someone can get alerted thatthey are on the floor and get
them up safely.
And if push comes to shove, leta caregiver be your eyes and
ears Right To assist them and bethere to watch them for you.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Right, and it's just important to know.
Like one in four adults over 65fall each year, but most falls
are preventable with strengthtraining and safety precautions
in place year.
But most falls are preventablewith strength, training and
safety precautions in place.
And so, again, just becausethey're older does not mean
they're going to fall or they'resupposed to fall.
That is a myth.
That's not true.
If falls are occurring, thereis a problem there, and so we
(16:17):
got to make sure that we'relooking at, uh, medication,
possibly vision, possibly thesafety, uh, the safety of the
home, like we have to look atall those different things to
make sure that they're beingsafe and that we can prevent
those falls as much as possible.
So, final tips, any takeawaysthat you want, want to give them
(16:40):
.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Be proactive, yeah, be proactive in your loved ones
care, right, we all get old,right, we all get old.
Right, we all get forgetful, weall lose muscle, they say.
But muscle mass three to fivepercent once we get over the age
of 30.
So, for us, being proactive isstarting to exercise Right,
(17:01):
taking that 10 to 15 minutes aday to do something that's going
to help your body gain itsmuscle or keep its muscle, so it
won't if you lose it.
If you don't use it, you won'tlose it in that way.
Also, again, keep an eye onyour loved ones, on your, on
your, on your grandmothers, onyour mothers and your fathers
(17:23):
and your grandfathers, becauseas they do age, things get a
little complicated balance itcould be off a little bit.
So keep them active also sothey can do things, encourage
them to be active so they can dothings to keep their
independence.
But you, as someone that iswatching that or taking care of
your loved one, you need to beproactive and watch them to say,
(17:45):
ok, hey, is mom and dad doingbetter?
I hear what they say on thephone.
I know they went to the grocerystore the other day and they
drove, but have you gotten inthe car with them and watched
them drive Right?
Have you came in to see themhow they put up the groceries?
All this?
You have to be proactivebecause it's options out there
(18:06):
to help them.
Right, you can have somebodycome in your home and assist
them with these things, drivewith them to get care, I mean to
get groceries, uh, to help themput the groceries up meal prep,
medication, man, the wholegambit.
But you, as uh a son or adaughter that's taking care of a
loved one, you have to beactive as well right and and
(18:27):
also I would just say, to startsmall, I mean you don't.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
you don't have to give them a whole exercise
regimen and get the.
But you know, start small,start small.
Just hey, let's just go on awalk me and you, or you know
time where you guys can bond,but also you can kind of get a
feel of what you were saying,like what is their day-to-day?
Like when do you see that theymay need help?
But I also say, embraceadaptive tools, which is a
really hard thing for ourseniors because again, sometimes
(18:51):
they're like I'm okay.
I don't want my friends to seeme with a walker.
I don't want my friends to seeme with a cane.
I don't want.
But we have to embrace thoseadaptive tools because they're
there to keep us safe.
They're not a sign of weakness.
They're not a sign that you'redifferent from your peers.
They're not a sign of anything.
What it is is you can't getyour life back Right, and so I
(19:13):
might have to use this canearound here, but at least I'm
walking.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
At least you're still independent.
At least I'm still standingRight, At least you're still yes
.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
So that's super important.
So I know a lot of families dodeal with them saying that, and
so we have to remind them.
Hey, your life is worth morethan the potential shame that
you might feel using that tool,but we the potential shame that
you might feel using that tool,but we care about you and we
want you here and you don't wantto.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I would rather you use the Walker or cane.
Uh, because you don't want tohave another fall again, because
that next fall can put youfurther back.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
And they really are a tool of independence.
They that they keep youindependent, and so that's super
important to remember.
But I think overall, we justwant to make sure that what
y'all take away from this is tostay active, make sure that your
loved ones are moving.
You're encouraging your lovedones to move.
Remind them that movement ismedicine.
Also, making sure that we'refocused on balance and strength
(20:07):
training to prevent falls, tomake sure that people are
staying strong and healthy asthey age as best as we can.
Make sure that people arestaying strong and healthy as
they age as best as we can.
Also, that it's important tomake your home as safe as
possible for your loved onestacking down rugs, adding those
grab bars, adding some improvedlighting to kind of make the
space look bigger and they cansee visually.
And just to get started today,do one small thing today.
(20:30):
Go on a walk or do somethinglike that.
That can just encourage thatmovement today.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
And I know this is a lot of information that you
probably get In this series.
You will have more informationthat we're going to be tagging
along.
If you have any questions,please feel free to reach out.
Also, home safety tips that's agreat thing.
Tell them about the home safetytips where, hey, if you feel
like, hey, I want to beproactive, let me make sure my
(20:57):
loved one is living, the home isnot cluttered, the lighting is
right for them, they have a grabbar.
Tell them a little bit aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, so there are home safety assessments that you
can have done on your home,where there is someone coming in
and they can do a full 240point inspection of the home.
They're done by home safetyadvisors.
Antwana and myself are somehome safety advisors and if
you're in the area or you needsomething, reach out.
(21:25):
We can definitely kind of pointyou to in the direction of some
.
But, yes, they can come in anddo a whole 240 point inspection
of your home to ensure it'ssafety for your loved ones and
from there you know you'll get afull breakdown and kind of work
through the process of what'sneeded, what, what can I get
right now?
What can I get started and thenkind of go from there.
But, yeah, so that is a greattool that you want to make sure
(21:47):
that you're utilizing for yourloved ones.
But we have more to go in thisseries.
Next episode we'll be talkingabout brain health and
preventing memory loss.
So please, please, please,stick around, stay tuned, like,
follow, subscribe and share sothat you don't miss any of the
good tips that we have for youguys.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And with that, I hope this information was valuable
to you.
I hope this you now can becomea resource to your family and to
your community.
We thank you all.
We out Bye.
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