But did you know that falls are actually the leading cause of unintentional injury and death for those 65 and older?

According to the CDC, 1 out of 4 older adults will fall each year in the U.S., making falls a public health concern. There are many risk factors, including increased inactivity, changes in gait and balance, and prescription medication use.

Falls increase the chances of being hospitalized, setting up further potential health risks in pneumonia and adverse medical reactions.

But there is a lot you can do to reduce the fall risk for your senior loved one.

Let’s look more closely at some reasons older adults are more susceptible to falls, and how to help keep them safe.

The 3 Top Ways to Prevent Falls in Older Adults

As you can see, there are many contributing factors to why your senior loved ones become more susceptible to falls as they age.

The good news: there are simple solutions that can reduce their risk. Here are our top three recommendations—the primary methods we use at Benton House that we know from experience make the biggest difference for our loved ones.

Help your senior loved one fall-proof their home:

Chances are, your senior loved one spends the majority of their time at home. A regular assessment of the living environment may be the single biggest step you can take to reduce risk and notice changes. Invest time to assess each living area, room by room, and take action to minimize fall risks. Focus on three key areas: lighting, walkways, and bathrooms. 

Lighting: switch to automatic lights where possible and install night lights throughout the home to illuminate main walkways indoors and out.

Walkways and Paths: remove throw rugs, clear clutter, and provide reminders like brightly colored tape on stairs and transitions.

Bathrooms: install grab bars, handrails, bath benches, and other safety and support items.

Encourage your senior loved ones to exercise, with a focus on balance activities:

Older adults need three types of exercise regularly: aerobic activities, muscle strengthening, and balance activities. They’re all important, but a CDC study suggests that an exercise program that includes both balance activities and functional exercise (a type of muscle strengthening) reduces the risk of falls in older adults by 24%.

Read our tips here to help your senior loved one create an exercise program for both physical fitness and fun.

Prioritize the overall health of your senior loved ones:

Our most important tip? Make sure you or someone you trust stays on top of the physical and mental health of your senior loved one. The two most important health areas of focus to reduce the risk of falls for older adults include assessing chronic conditions and managing related medications.

Take advantage of routine doctor checkups

Make sure you or their appointed caregiver attends appointments with your loved one. Many conditions (like thyroid imbalances or dementia) contribute to the risk of falling for older adults, so take full advantage of having an expert in the room to ask the doctor questions or raise concerns. 

Develop a simple system to manage medications

The unfortunate truth: Medication prescribed to treat conditions common in older adults can also raise fall risk when taken incorrectly. Work together with your senior loved one and caregivers to create a medication management plan everyone involved with their health can easily follow. Whatever other methods you use, keep visual reminders like this free medication chart template on their fridge, so everyone on their healthcare team can easily stay on the same page.

Next Steps

Is there one magic pill that can keep your senior loved ones safe from ever falling?

Unfortunately, no.

But fall-proofing their home, encouraging exercise, and managing their overall health go a long way in reducing their risk, so they stay as healthy (and balanced) as possible.

Get Your Free 1:1 Caregiving Support

Would you like personal, customized help reducing the fall risk of your senior loved one—completely free of charge?

Get compassionate caregiving support, including a non-clinical home safety review, in one of these three easy ways.

• Visit our support page and request your complimentary Caregiver Workbook.
• Call our Caregiver Hotline for free custom support at 855-461-2552. We’re here to help.
• Send us a message describing how we can support you. Choose whether you’d like us to reach out: text, email, or snail mail.

Again, there is no charge for these services. They’re simply an extension of our mission to help every family who calls.

The post Reducing Fall Risk: How to Keep Your Senior Loved Ones Safe appeared first on Benton House.

You want to help them find (and stick to) a fitness routine that keeps them feeling their best.

But what’s the best way to support them in creating a senior specific exercise program that will significantly benefit their health and that they will enjoy enough to stick to long-term? Because if you ask us, enjoying our days is a crucial part of our overall health and well-being.

Here’s what to consider for a fitness routine for seniors that supports both physical fitness and fun.

Mix and Match Exercise Types For Physical Fitness

Here’s the reality: older adults need three different types of exercise to stay physically fit, according to the CDC. That’s aerobic activity, muscle strengthening, and balance exercises.

Aerobic exercise (AKA cardio) includes a wide variety of activities, from mowing a lawn to doing jumping jacks. It’s all about getting your heart rate up. Group aerobic activities like walking clubs and yoga classes are a win-win: they get you moving, plus have the added bonus of socialization.

Muscle strengthening supports older adults to not lose muscle mass as they age. This can include activities like using free weights at a gym, or going to a strength-building yoga class. When choosing an exercise, it’s important to include each muscle group in the body for overall fitness.

Balancing exercises are also essential, as they help reduce the risk of falling in older adults. Simple activities like walking backward or using a wobble board can help. Many types of yoga are also wonderful because they often naturally incorporate balancing poses throughout a practice.

Group Exercise for Senior Fitness That’s Fun

Socialization. Laughter. Silliness. What could be better than spending time with friends and getting fit at the same time?

We’ll say it: senior exercise programs should be fun.

Because what’s the point of working up that sweat if there’s no one to commiserate with? And we all know falling over trying to hold tree pose in yoga is a much better experience if your friends are there to laugh with about the experience.

But while fun tops our list of favorite reasons to do anything, there are also scientific benefits to pursuing fitness with friends.

Around a quarter of community-dwelling Americans 65 and older are socially isolated. When you consider that social isolation is up there with more commonly known factors like high blood pressure and smoking when it comes to premature mortality, it’s clear that supporting older adults in finding community is crucial.

This means that supporting your loved one in finding a group to exercise with compounds the benefits of physical fitness alone.

Next Steps

As a caregiver, you want to support your aging parents to get and stay physically fit. But their happiness is important to you, and you want them to enjoy themselves, too.

So while there are countless specific exercises out there to choose from when it comes to senior fitness, we highly recommend supporting your loved one to integrate fun and socialization into their exercise activities.

Could you use more tangible help when it comes to helping your loved one stay fit and active? We offer tailored caregiver assessments — plus actionable support — completely free of charge.

Simply call us at 855-461-2552 or send us a message, anytime.

The post Creating a Senior Exercise Program For Both Physical Fitness and Fun appeared first on Benton House.

Do you feel unsure sometimes how to support your aging parent or loved one to stay active? Curious what types of exercises can help your loved one remain healthy?

With all the information out there, it can seem overwhelming. But at the root of it, senior fitness is actually quite simple.

Let’s explore the three types of exercises older adults need.

What Three Types of Exercises Are Recommended For Senior Fitness?

Here’s an unfortunate truth:

Just 38.5% of Americans 65 and older met aerobic activity guidelines in 2016. Even fewer (17.5%) meet muscle strengthening guidelines, according to a 2016 CDC study.

But regular exercise is essential to health and well-being in older adults.

As we age, physical fitness helps protect us from many diseases, including diabetes, stroke, and some types of cancer. Besides that, exercise can help improve mental health, delay dementia onset, and generally improve quality of life.

So what, exactly, does physical fitness mean?

The CDC recommends a combination of three specific types of exercise to prevent and delay health challenges for older adults: aerobic activity, muscle strengthening, and balance exercises.

Aerobic Activities For Older Adults

For aerobic activity, the CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week for older adults.

This can break down in many different ways, but here’s one common example: about 30 minutes per day, five days a week, of brisk walking.

If seniors want to dial up the intensity to what the CDC considered vigorous activities, recommended time can lower to 75 minutes per week. Intensity refers to how hard your body is working during exercise. You can tell you’re doing appropriately vigorous exercise for your body when you feel your heart rate increase and it’s hard to say more than a few words without pausing to catch your breath.

This means vigorous intensity activities differ from person to person based on fitness levels, but common examples include hiking, water aerobics, and running.

Your loved one can stick to either moderate or vigorous activities, or try a mix of the two.

Muscle Strengthening Activities For Older Adults

Besides aerobic activity, the CDC recommends at least two days per week of activities that work all major muscle groups.

Muscle strengthening should target legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms. These types of activities support older adults in retaining muscle mass as they age.

The key to gaining benefits? Finding their edge. For optimal health, it’s crucial to repeat muscle-strengthening activities to the point where another repetition would be too hard to do without support.

Whether at home or a fitness center, there are many types of activities that strengthen muscles.

Popular examples that require a gym or investing in a little equipment include using free weights, resistance bands, and exercise machines.

However, using your own body weight can be just as effective. Classic examples include push-ups and sit-ups. Exercises that overlap into hobbies can be wonderful, too, like intensive gardening and more strength-focused yoga.

Balance Activities for Older Adults

Don’t leave balance activities out! In addition to strength training and aerobic exercise, devoting time to practicing balance has major benefits for older adults.

In fact, a CDC study suggests that an exercise program that includes both balance activities and functional exercise (a type of strength training) reduces the risk of falls in older adults by 24%.

And if seniors spend more time on this combo of exercise? That reduction in fall risk nearly doubles, at 42%.

So what counts as a balance activity?

Walking backward, stranding on one leg, or wobble boards all help to improve balance. Many yoga poses, such as tree pose, are also wonderful for balance.

Next Steps

You want to support your aging parent in getting the recommended exercise to stay healthy and well.

And while there are countless specific exercises out there to choose from when it comes to senior fitness, the most important part is simply to remember the three crucial categories: aerobic exercise, strength training, and balance activities.

Could you use more tangible help when it comes to helping your loved one stay fit and active? We offer tailored caregiver assessments — plus actionable support — completely free of charge.

Simply call us at 855-461-2552 or send us a message, anytime.

The post Senior Fitness: The Three Types of Exercise Older Adults Need appeared first on Benton House.

There are countless reasons why you as a caregiver may consider seeking outside help.

Perhaps you’re experiencing caregiver burnout, and it’s time to find compassionate support that will allow you to step away for a few hours each week and take care of your own needs.

Maybe you and your loved one have started a conversation about moving into a senior living community. Starting with day programs first can help pave the way for a smooth transition.

But what is the difference between adult day programs and respite care? And how can they support both you and your loved one?

Let’s take a look.

How do adult day programs work?

Typically, adult day programs support families by offering senior care for a certain number of hours. These services don’t include overnight stays.

At Benton House you can expect a warm, caring atmosphere where seniors can enjoy the day and caregivers can savor a little extra time to relax and recharge. Stays can range from a one-time afternoon visit to a regular weekly schedule.

Your loved one is welcomed to take part in any of the community’s daily programming for either full or half days. Outings, exercise classes, meals, socializing: all included.

We ask that you schedule day program stays ahead of time to ensure we have the proper resources to offer the best experience for everyone.

What are the advantages of adult day programs for caregivers?

Whether you schedule a one-time visit or regular stays for your loved one, we hear one major benefit over and over again from caregivers: the opportunity to take care of your own needs.

For some caregivers, this looks like time set aside each week for errand-running, a quiet morning alone, or social time with friends. For others, adult day programs allow caregivers to show up to work every day knowing their aging parent is getting compassionate care.

This means that supporting your loved one in finding a group to exercise with compounds the benefits of physical fitness alone.

What are the advantages of adult day programs for seniors?

Isolation is one of the top challenges facing seniors today. So for aging adults who may otherwise spend much of their time alone, being around other seniors is a top benefit of spending full or half days at Benton House. From seasonal outings like fishing trips to exercise classes to mealtimes, socializing goes a long way in supporting your loved one’s health.

Another top benefit: if mom or dad is considering moving to a senior living community long-term, adult day programs are a wonderful way to explore what a residence has to offer.

How do senior respite services work?

Generally speaking, respite programs welcome aging seniors to communities on a temporary basis. This is more intensive than adult day programs because respite services include overnight stays. But respite services are meant to be short term, so they’re also not moving fully into a community.

At Benton House, we consider short term residents to be part of the family. They enjoy

the same services and amenities as other residents of the community.

What are the advantages of senior respite services for caregivers?

Caregivers look to our respite services for short term support. Let’s look at a few examples. 

Perhaps you’re going on a two week cruise with friends, and you know it will be too much stimulation for your aging mom or dad. Respite services can make it possible for you to enjoy your vacation while knowing your loved one is well taken care of, and enjoying their time away, too.

Another advantage: support for caregiver burnout. Respite services are ideal if you’ve reached a level of burnout where you need a significant chunk of time to step away and take care of yourself for longer than what the adult day program can offer.

What are the advantages of respite services for seniors?

The truth is, seniors can often benefit from a shift in routine as much as caregivers. Respite services can offer relief from the isolation and monotony of living alone, with short term stays giving seniors space and time to make friends, learn a new hobby, or simply enjoy a change of pace for a little while.

Short term stays include all the services full-time community members enjoy. Which means that respite services also offer the ideal opportunity for your loved one to get a true sense of what to expect if they’re considering moving into a senior living community.

Next Steps

You’re considering adult day programs or respite care for your loved one because you want them to receive the best care. We do, too.

If you have any questions, we’re always here to talk through how we can best support you and your family.

Because at Benton House, we don’t just care for our residents. We care about them.

If you could use support finding specific activities for your loved one, we’d love to help. Feel free to call us at 855-461-2552, or send us a message, anytime.

The post Adult Day Programs and Respite Care: How They Help Both Caregivers and Seniors appeared first on Benton House.