Aging affects everybody’s muscles and joints, even the healthiest and fittest of us. Although there isn’t much you can do to stop connective tissues and joint cartilage from degrading, there are simple exercises that seniors can perform to keep them as mobile as possible. Seniors at our assisted living community in Royal Palm Beach maintain their gross and fine motor skills using a variety of special equipment. Moreover, this equipment supports the ability to exercise every day without overtaxing the body or creating health risks.
Step Stool
A small, one-step, household stool can be used to strengthen leg and hip muscles needed for walking and maintaining balance. Stand in front of the step stool, step up on the step stool with your left leg, and then step down on your right leg. Repeat this stepping motion five to 10 times before changing legs. This time, step up on the stool with your right leg and step down on your left leg. Standing on one leg for a few seconds helps seniors improve their sense of balance by enhancing leg and hip muscle tone.
Stability Ball
Members of our senior living community in Royal Palm Beach always have lots of fun when they use a stability ball to improve their gross motor skills. Stability balls work well to exercise hip muscles called flexors that enable us to walk and stand. They also improve core muscle health, postural balance, and gross motor skills. This video shows how seniors can use a stability ball easily and safely: Stability Ball Exercises for Seniors
Accessories for Enhancing Fine Motor Skills
These activities involving fine motor skills (using your fingers and hands) are popular among members of our memory care community in Royal Palm Beach:
- Playing with Play-doh or therapy putty
- Picking up small objects with tweezers or kitchen tongs
- Doing jigsaw puzzles
- Stringing colorful beads to make necklaces or bracelets
- Stacking coins
- Painting with small brushes or fingers
- Building a house out of playing cards
- Cutting pictures out of magazines
Resistance Bands
A resistance band is basically a large rubber band that you stretch using your arms or legs. In addition to building core and muscle strength, resistance bands can help improve gross motor skills like walking and reaching ahead or upward. Seniors residing in our assisted living community in Royal Palm Beach can sit or stand when using resistance bands. Bands can be looped over the wrists and stretched by spreading the arms or looped around the ankles and stretched by spreading the legs.
Walking Treadmill
Walking treadmills for seniors have a lower deck height than other treadmills and come with easy-grip handrails to ensure balance and stability. Digital display monitors provide information about calories burned and the distance walked while using the treadmill.
Living the Good Life in Royal Palm Beach
Call us today at (561) 570-2090 for more information about our beautiful community or to schedule a tour.
