Four Tips for Safer Outdoor Exercise

Lots of people find that when they are finally ready to start exercising after they’ve gotten their doctor’s approval, they just can’t do what they want indoors. Either it feels too stuffy to exercise indoors or they just don’t get the same feeling of having exercised inside. If that’s your senior, then you need to work together to come up with a plan.

The Right Gear Helps Immensely

Your senior needs appropriate gear for exercising outdoors, especially if that’s what she’s planning to do most often. Having the right footwear and clothing for both warm and cold weather is crucial. If she’s planning to exercise outside no matter what the weather is, she’ll also need rain gear and possibly other types of protection. Talk to her about what she’s planning to do and help her to figure out what she needs.

It’s a Good Idea to Have a Phone Handy

Whether your senior loves having a phone with her at all times or not, it needs to be non-negotiable when she’s planning to exercise outside. Having a phone with her means that if she does run into trouble and needs help that it’s easy for her to reach out and get hold of you or of emergency services as quickly as possible.

She Needs to Carry Identification

Likewise, your senior needs to have some form of identification on her when she’s exercising outside. It makes sense that she might not want to carry a bag or wallet with her, but that’s no reason for her to not have ID with her. Identification jewelry might be a decent compromise, but having photo identification with her in a pocket when she leaves the house is even better.

Exercising with Someone Else Could Be a Good Idea

It’s also a really good idea for your elderly family member to exercise with a friend if possible. That ensures that she’s not out alone, just in case something happens. Another option is for your senior to exercise with a caregiver. That’s an especially helpful solution if your elderly family member has specific medical challenges. At the very least, she needs to let you or someone else know her plans so that you’re prepared in case you don’t hear from her.
Safe exercising when your senior is outdoors is crucial, so work with her to find solutions that you can both agree to and stick with going forward.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring  Homecare in Pleasant Hill, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855

Andy Howard CEO at HomeCare Professionals

Andy Howard is a Bay Area Native who holds a BA in Political Science (University of Colorado at Boulder, ’97). After college Andy worked in the surging tech industry. His Grandmother however, would suffer a significant decline in health and ultimately needed in-home care. The experience of a loved one depending on outside help to age in place proved to be pivotal for Andy as he left the tech industry in 2002 for an opportunity in the home care world with a large provider. After having success in home care, but being frustrated by corporate constraints Andy founded HomeCare Professionals in 2005. He methodically built the company one client at a time by focusing on hiring quality caregivers to ensure positive outcomes. Currently Andy serves as the CEO of HomeCare Professionals and is also highly active in the non-profit organization California Association of Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) which advocates for a higher standard of in-home care for those who wish to remain living at home in California.

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