Saturday, February 15, 2014

The Importance of Exercise for the Elderly… Why Are Some Nursing Homes Still Not Incorporating It?

I would say that it is pretty common knowledge that exercise is good for you. While you’re young it can help one maintain body weight, stay fit, help insulin levels, and much more. As we age, the need to exercise becomes increasingly more important, yet the amount of exercise we get tends to decrease. For the elderly, exercise is just as important. Think of it as a “use it or lose it” kind of philosophy, If we keeps our muscles weak, as in not using them, soon enough we will no longer be able to have the strength.

Benefits of Exercise for the Young and the Elderly
  1. Stress relief
  2. Retain muscle strength and fitness
  3. Maintain a healthy body weight
  4. Cancer prevention & treatment(some studies have shown evidence for both)
  5. Maintain healthy joints

When people are stressed, their body spends too much time in sympathetic tone which restricts blood flow to vital internal organs. This lack of blood flow greatly affects an individual’s health.
Being physically fit is just as important to the elderly as it is to the young athletes. It affects the chemical components of your body as well as the visual. That is why it plays a role in muscle tone and other area of health.

So if we (health professionals) are all fully aware of the benefits of exercise, why are so many assisted living and nursing home centers still not implementing exercise into the resident’s regular schedule? The truth is, I don’t have an exact answer to this question, it perplexes me. I have brainstormed some reasons, as well as interviewed some nursing home staff, and most of them still don’t make any sense to me…
Reasons…
  1.  Not wanting to be reliable for physical injury obtained while participating
  2. Only doing what is required, and exercise isn't required
  3. Only in physical therapy is exercise incorporated, but they need a PT script in order to get it
  4.  Many nursing home are short staffed, and don’t have time
  5. Funding isn't there to help incorporate programs

In my personal opinion, none of these reasons are very good. The one that is really frustrating to me is #1. To me, not exercising them because of not wanting to be liable is simply ridicules. It’s like not stopping to help out an injured person on the street because you’re afraid they’re going to sue you. So because you’re afraid of losing money, you chose instead to let them suffer, or maybe even die. To fix this, maybe we can incorporate a release of some sort saying that they can’t be sued, you can ask permission of the resident or power of attorney, and sign off on some kind of fancy paperwork.


It should be a nursing homes moral obligation to give the best care possible, and even though incorporating exercise would not be difficult, it is still not done in a lot of places. Something needs to change to level to help those out, who helped raise us. At the administrative level, something needs to be figured out to be able to incorporate physical exercise daily, whether that means changing the budget around, or hiring more staff to find the time. The health of their residents is of utmost importance.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Welcome to My Blog, Get to Know Me, My Goals, Ambitions & More…


Get to know me…
I grew in in Waukesha, Wisconsin and lived there until I went to college. In high school, I was involved in athletics, I played volleyball & basketball. My senior year I changed sports and took up rowing, I rowed for a private club in Milwaukee called Milwaukee Rowing Club.

My original career aspiration was to be a physical therapist. I had the opportunity to shadow and learn from a local therapist and loved the thought of being able to help those in pain. Being an athlete, I had also thought it would be cool to work with athletes and help them heal from injuries. While working at  the physical therapy clinic, I realized that physical therapy is much more than helping athletes, its helping ALL kinds of people recover, and from a variety of things. I met a war veteran, and he told me his story. He talked about the war, his injuries, and his life in all aspects. Being able to sit down with him really inspired me.

After High School, I attended Kansas State University where I majored in Kinesiology with emphasis in Physical Therapy. When I went off to school, my parents re-located to Oswego, Illinois.  My first year at K-State I was a student-athlete(rowing) and really enjoyed having the support of the team. However, wanting to change my major and be closer to home, I made the decision to transfer after the fall semester of my sophomore year to Eastern Illinois University. I also changed my major to Health Studies with emphasis in Health Administration with a minor in Business Administration.




This leads me to this blog. I want to be able to share my thoughts and experience in my field. I am in the middle of my schooling, I’m motivated to learn and very excited for what is to come.