After a stroke, your senior loved one will experience weakness on one side of the body, but it’s important to devote time each day to increasing his or her strength, mobility, and coordination. Certain exercises have proven to be helpful in post-stroke therapy. Here are a few suggestions your loved one can try.
Leg Exercises
The purpose of leg exercises for senior stroke survivors is to enhance muscle control while reducing spasticity. One exercise for your loved one to try involves lying flat on the floor and gently sliding the affected leg side to side. In the same position, your loved one can also perform leg lifts. If the affected leg is too weak, encourage starting off by moving only the ankle and working up to the whole leg as its strength increases.
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Hand Exercises
It’s important to focus on increasing dexterity when recovering from a stroke. This is true whether your loved one is just beginning to regain hand movement or he or she already has a good range of motion. Squeezing a rubber ball or building with blocks or LEGO bricks can increase hand coordination, as can wrapping rubber bands around the fingers and spreading them apart repeatedly.
Recovering from a stroke, managing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and a variety of other health-related situations can make it difficult for a senior to continue living at home without someone there to help. Livingston, NJ, live-in care professionals are trained to help seniors who need 24/7 assistance. With the help of a live-in caregiver, your elderly loved one can maintain a higher quality of life while aging in place.
Eye Exercises
Senior stroke survivors often face vision-related challenges, such as double or blurred vision. However, some exercises can promote eye health. Placing an object near your loved one and then moving that object further away may help. The objective is to look back and forth at the object for a short period to redevelop depth perception.
Arm Exercises
Following a stroke, your loved one may experience arm spasms, but exercising the arms can increase muscle control. To reduce or eliminate the spasms in the affected side of the body, encourage your loved one to use a resistance band. Tie the resistance band to a stable surface or a door hinge and have your loved one pull on the band repeatedly and lift his or her arm up and down. If the arm is too weak to complete this exercise, offer to help your loved one until he or she builds enough strength to perform it independently. An in-home caregiver can help your loved one exercise in safety and comfort. The type of home care Livingston seniors need can vary. Some need assistance a few hours a day, while others require more extensive around-the-clock assistance. At Assisting Hands Home Care, we tailor our care plans based on each senior’s individual care needs, and the plans can be adjusted at any time. We are a trusted provider of respite and 24-hour care, and we also offer specialized Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, and stroke care for seniors. Trust your loved one’s care to the professionals at Assisting Hands Home Care. To create a customized home care plan for your loved one, call us today.
