4 Best Ways Seniors Can Maintain Their Mobility

When a person is limited in their mobility, their world tends to shrink into a very small space. For this reason, it is both important and necessary to help the elderly maintain their mobility for as long as possible. The longer mobility is preserved among seniors, the better their quality of life tends to be. The following are four ways to help seniors maintain their mobility for years to come.

Avoiding Type Two Diabetes

Problems with type two diabetes leading to feet being amputated is one of the major causes of mobility impairment in seniors. Due to diets high in artificial sugars and too many refined carbohydrates, the type two diabetes epidemic is on the rise. Fortunately, type two diabetes is a completely preventable problem. Slowly the public is starting to realize that cutting out beverages like soda, which contain high fructose corn syrup and other harmful artificial sweeteners, is one way to prevent the onset of type two diabetes and the mobility problems that come with it.

Avoiding Obesity

When a person gets older and continues to remain overweight to the point of being obese, this places a lot of strain on joints and feet. This is another cause of impaired mobility. According to an article at AJCN.nutrition.org, fructose has emerged as a contributing factor to problems with being overweight. Strangely enough, diets high in refined sugar and refined carbohydrates are once again the cause of the insulin and leptin resistance that leads to the onset of obesity. Reversing insulin and leptin resistance and dropping the weight is one way to prevent a person's weight from causing mobility problems.


Exercise

It stands to reason that exercise helps to keep a person fit and healthy. It is also another way to prevent the mobility impairing effects of type two diabetes and obesity. In addition, exercise is beneficial in keeping joints active and ensuring a wider range of motion as well. When the elderly stop exercising, the body tends to not snap back so easily. It is a classic case of how not exercising your lower extremities will inevitably make mobility more difficult.

Motorized Wheel-chairs

If walking is not possible anymore, this is no longer a reason for not getting out and enjoying life. Today's mobility impaired seniors are obtaining new found mobility freedom through the use of motorized wheel-chairs. Built for comfort and able to maneuver through tighter spaces, modern powered wheel-chairs from Medical For You and similar companies are a means to putting the get-up-and-go back into a senior's daily routine. In addition, motorized wheel-chairs are also body contoured and ergonomically designed for optimal comfort and ease of use.

To maintain a senior's mobility for the long term, it is critical for the elderly to eat right and exercise regularly. The body is designed for mobility. Unfortunately, too many people live overly sedentary lives. By not moving around, developing obesity and acquiring type two diabetes, this gives rise to an endless array of mobility impairments that could have been prevented. It is a situation where something as simple as a brisk walk each day will aid in maintaining a senior's mobility well into old age.