How To Deal With Mobility Issues – 6 Tips For Your Body

With 11% of adults in the United States having a mobility disability, it is not rare to have a loved one dealing with a mobility disability as well.

Especially the older someone is the more challenging it becomes to move around. While some seniors might not be able to step over objects other seniors are not able to walk at all.

We have done some research to teach you how you can help a loved one dealing with mobility issues.

Keep reading to learn our top tips for helping the human body when it is dealing with mobility issues.

1. Stay Active

It is easy to want to lie down all day when dealing with mobility issues because getting around can be exhausting. The problem is that a body needs to stay in motion in order to stay healthy.

Even just doing a bit of activity each day will strengthen muscles and bones. A small amount of activity will also improve steadiness when walking. You can suggest using a walker or a cane if your loved one is afraid of falling.

It is always best to talk to your loved one’s doctor to make sure they are doing exercises that are safe.

Once you have a green light from the doctor then you want to come up with a plan to help them feel comfortable exercising.

Sometimes they will need to start with low-impact exercises such as swimming and stretching.

2. Simplify Basic Daily Tasks

Anyone with mobility issues needs a more simple day-to-day routine. Talk to your loved one about what they have the most difficulty doing.

If your loved one is having an issue with cooking dinner because they can’t navigate the kitchen with their mobility aid, then you need to figure out ways to make it easier for them to eat.

Ask them what the most difficult tasks to accomplish are so that you can figure out whether you need to look for home care assistance.

3. Look for Changes

Usually, after some time, mobility issues will worsen, so you want to pay attention to see if you notice any changes in their abilities.

Those dealing with arthritis symptoms might start to notice symptoms getting worse with age.

Be observant and look for signs that they might need a new mobility device or new medication. In some cases, new conditions might arise and surgeries or treating hip dysplasia becomes a necessity.

Sometimes these changes might mean that your loved one needs more assistance in order to remain safe.

4. Safe Routes In Public Areas

You don’t have to make your loved one 100% homebound because of a mobility issue.

It might require some extra planning to go out to eat or when going for a walk, but it’s important to get out of the house once in a while instead of being locked up indoors.

Before you take your loved one out to a new place scout out new locations. Look for locations that offer more accessibility such as elevators and ramps for those dealing with mobility issues.

5. Add Gardening To The Equation

If your loved one enjoyed gardening before dealing with mobility issues, figure out a way to get them outside and enjoy gardening again.

This is great for anyone because gardening is therapeutic and it provides gentle exercise. You can look for gardening tools that make it possible to dig out weeds without having to bend over.

There are things such as long-reach trowels where anyone sitting down can still dig.

6. Exercise Is AOK

Having limited mobility doesn’t mean that exercise has to be forgotten altogether.

There are plenty of exercises that can be done which will be helpful because they will ease depression from recent life changes, they will boost someone’s mood, enhance self-esteem, relieve stress and anxiety, etc.

Exercising leads to the body releasing endorphins which are responsible for making human beings feel good.

If your loved one has limited mobility in their legs they can focus on strength training exercises involving the upper body. They can use weights or some type of resistance to build bone and muscle mass.

Another type of exercise is flexibility exercises. This will help your loved one enhance their range of motion, reduce stiffness and pain, and will help prevent injury.

Yoga is a great flexibility exercise even if there is limited mobility in the leg area. Chair yoga is a thing and this can be done from any seat even a wheelchair.

Cardiovascular exercises are a great way for loved ones to raise their heart rate while also increasing endurance.

There are plenty of exercises such as swimming, aqua jogging, water aerobics, cycling, dancing, walking, running, etc. Usually, someone dealing with mobility issues finds exercising in water to be the best option.

Exercising in water is great because the water helps support the body and it also reduces the risk of dealing with joint discomfort and muscle discomfort. Even someone that has to be in a wheelchair at all times can perform cardiovascular exercises to get that heart rate up.

Make sure you encourage your loved one to start slowly and increase their activity level gradually.

There is no race to win so make sure that your loved one goes at their own pace so that they can keep their goals more manageable.

Sticking to exercise is important to become a habit, but encourage your loved one to keep going if they skip a day or two here and there.

Mobility Issues Does Not Mean It’s the End of the Road

As you can see there are ways to still thrive even when dealing with mobility issues.

If it becomes way too much to care for your loved one make sure you reach out to professionals that can help take some weight off your shoulders.

There are also services like grocery deliveries that can make food shopping easier and there are driving services available as well.

If our article helped you out we have more posts to help you out in our health section.