As the body grows old one is likely to experience great physiological changes such as decreased cardiac output, loss of muscle mass, and low metabolism which occurs at a different rate between people and even within the body of an individual, the speed at which these physiological changes happen vary from one person to the other and even within an individual, these physiological changes are primarily influenced by individual genes and environmental factors you can read more on this website. The rate at which these physiological changes happen can be derailed through modified physical exercises, however, the exercises need to be safe and tailored according to individual age and all risks involved should be laid down, it is important to seek recommendation from exercise professionals such as exercise physiologists for the right workouts, especially when dealing with the senior population. Exercise physiologists classify the process of aging into three phases, entering old age which is a group of people who have just retired as well as those who have finished child-rearing who can be even 50 years old, the second phase is the transitional phase, this entails people in their 70s and the third phase is frail old people, this group comprises of highly susceptible seniors due to health problems associated with aging, most of them depend on assisted living. Given that most senior people require assistance with basic tasks such as dressing and bathing, some of these functions can be reverted through tailored physical activities, to help you out, this article has detailed some ideas you can use to design such exercises see this page for more info.
Individuals in the frail group have difficulties in completing (ADL) such as dressing, getting around or bathing and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) such as shopping, cooking, and other house chores, this is because most people in this group have chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and loss of muscle mass which prevent proper functioning of the body. The exercise program should be tailored toward improving specific ADL and IADL needs of each individual, the exercise needs to be safe and all necessary precautions are taken such as pretesting and medical clearance from a qualified physician.
Moderate aerobic exercises are among recommended exercises for the senior population, low impacts and moderate aerobic activities such as walking, swimming, and hydrodynamic exercises, it is important to keep monitoring the heart rate, blood pressure and their rating of perceived exertion during the physical activities to ensure safety at all time, also a good thing to do is to record exercise data which you need to manipulate to design and prescribe a progressive exercise program that is safe and reliable. Those are some ideas we thought might help you in developing a safe and reliable exercise program for the senior population, also important exercises for this group are flexibility and coordination exercises.
