Support for Mobility and Physical Activity at Old Alresford Cottage Care Home

Physical activity is incredibly important for anyone of any age, but as you get older, staying physically active ensures mobility. One of the biggest concerns when moving a loved one into a care home is whether there will be a reduction in physical activity and, therefore, the potential for your loved one to lose mobility. But at Old Alresford Cottage Care Home, this doesn’t need to be a concern.

Mobility and physical activity are vital for your elderly loved one, which is why most care homes will have several support systems in place to help your loved one maintain mobility and remain physically active.

At Old Alresford, helping your loved one stay mobile and physically active is a vital part of the care and support we provide. There are several types of support in place for your loved ones' mobility, including bespoke care plans and a range of activities.

In this blog, we discuss why mobility matters and how we encourage our residents to stay physically active and mobile.

Why Mobility Matters for Elderly Residents

Staying mobile is important for your elderly loved one for several reasons:

1. It helps with physical health.
2. It helps with mental health.
3. It improves the quality of life as they age.
4. It helps balance and movement, which can prevent falls.
5. It allows your loved one to move freely and of their own independence.

Unfortunately, as we age, muscles and joints can stiffen and weaken when not used, making mobility and movement harder. The only way to combat this is to keep moving.

Staying mobile enables your loved one to stay independent for as long as possible. And this doesn’t change when your loved one moves into a care home. In fact, care homes emphasise mobility and physical activity so that your loved one doesn’t lose their independence.

So how do they do this?

Personalised Mobility and Exercise Plans

One of the ways that care homes facilitate physical activity and movement is by adding tailored activities and exercises that target mobility into their care plan.

This might be through incorporating physiotherapy or occupational therapy. Alternatively, it might be through simply making sure they take part in some low-impact activities such as a walk once a day, be it around the facilities and gardens or out in the community, or seated exercises and stretching.

All the activities that are part of your loved ones' care plan will be tailored to their abilities. If physiotherapists or occupational therapists are involved, they might use specific exercises to target certain mobility issues.

Group Activities and Social Engagement

A big part of our care home is the activities programme that we organise each week. As well as fun, mentally engaging games and activities, we also make sure we include group exercises.

These promote social connections and well-being while encouraging gentle movement.

We often find that residents motivate each other to take part in these activities – much like you might have a gym buddy to keep you accountable for going to the gym.

Activities can include dancing in the lounge, strolls around the garden, chairing Thai Chi, or even batting the balloon.

We mix up the activities that are organised each week so that residents don’t get bored.

Facilities and Equipment to Support Mobility

Sometimes, mobility issues can’t be helped, but this shouldn’t stop your loved one from moving and losing the rest of their ability to move.

So, we make sure that we have a number of mobility equipment at hand to help your loved one. Around the home, we have handrails and grab rails so that residents can use them for support as they walk around. If they need slightly more support, we might recommend they start using a walking frame or stick.

Specialist Mobility Support for Dementia Residents

If your loved one is living with dementia they can face unique mobility issues. As the disease progresses, mobility issues can include:

• Balance issues
• Increased risk of falls
• Coordination problems
• Struggles to turn and stand up or sit down safely
• Reduced spatial awareness
• Trouble navigating stairs

To try and reduce the impact of dementia on your loved one’s mobility, we will include specialised physical activities in their care plans. This will typically centre around forms of physical and occupational therapy.

Physical activity is also an important part of your loved one’s dementia care plan because it can help cognitive function because:

• It increases blood flow to the brain and increases oxygen and nutrient delivery.
• Enhances neuroplasty, encouraging the brain to form new neural connections and delaying dementia symptoms.
• Strengthens the connection between the brain and muscles, reducing the risk of falls.
• Encourages focus and mindfulness, reducing mental fog.
• Improves sleep patterns and reduces nighttime restlessness.

Visit Our Care Home to See Our Support in Action

At Old Alresford Cottage, we are committed to ensuring your loved one is mobile and active no matter their health conditions or mobility.

With different activities and therapies included in your loved ones' bespoke care plan, you can be confident that they won’t lose their mobility, but the activities will meet their abilities.

Plus, we have a range of activities weekly that include group exercises and gentle movement while also encouraging socialisation.

If you would like to know more about how we support your loved ones' mobility and facilitate physical activity, we recommend visiting our care home.

On your visit, you can see how our facilities are equipped to help your loved one move around the home, the spacious rooms, and experience how we adapt activities to meet mobility abilities. Plus, we can answer any questions you might have.

Call us on 01962 734121 or complete our online contact form to arrange a visit.