As the saying goes, “If you don’t use it, you lose it”. Exercise is important for all of us, perhaps most importantly seniors.
All Resthaven programs regularly include exercise on the activity calendar and we have been able to continue to offer this throughout the pandemic. Every unit at The Care Center and Maple Woods offer hallway exercise options. Our residents are also engaged by one-on-one activities that encourage them to move, like balloon tosses and courtyard walking. At the Warm Friend we have been able to do socially distanced, limited sized exercise groups.
Across the continuum, we have seen residents participating in exercises who chose not to before COVID-19. Some residents saw the process of moving to the gathering rooms to exercise as a barrier and by bringing the exercise to the hallways near their room, this encouraged new residents to join in the wellness activities.
Warm Friend resident Pat enjoys attending exercise group, “It’s just a great way to start my day. It’s good for me, for my heart, for my breathing, for my mood.”
Director of Recreational Therapy Carly Wing knows that exercise is such an important part of her life enrichment program. She said, “People at any age need to continue to move their muscles and joints in order to maintain their abilities. Otherwise, we lose strength and range of motion. Exercise also keeps our brains functioning at optimum levels as we actively breathe while we move. It allows for us to clear our minds and problem solve better, as well. There are so many benefits that come with regular exercise, and we don’t have to run marathons or lift heavy weights to reap the benefits!”