Top Activities To Keep Carers & Carees Healthy

In this section you will find the following topics, we have personally used a combination of all of these ideas and have helped a relative to function better. With medical professionals ready to write people with dementia and similar illnesses off, this is what they don’t tell you to help stave off the progression of diseases and to keep your loved ones going for as long as possible. Basically it’s a case of use it or lose it. Remember to have a bash yourself – a bit of self care is a must given the strain carers go through, having a look at the Peace & Quiet Page is a good start…

These topics apply universally, so whether an individual requires the care of someone else, or is a carer who cares for themselves as well; people should try to incorporate these into their lives. (Not always as easy as that – I know.)

Exercise

Everybody needs to move their body, full stop. Generally the fitter you are, the healthier you are, agreed? What I didn’t realise is that the less you move, the less you will be able to move, especially as you get older. Exercise can be a “dirty” word to some – myself included after having more than one awful experience in P.E. lessons. But guess what?! It doesn’t have to be anything like the traumatic barking delivered by Mrs X! Again, I’ve witnessed the change in relatives I care for. Huge benefits…

Exercise also increases the blood flow to the brain – the more oxygen that arrives there the better it is for you, especially for people with dementia.

Now, I’ve never been one for sport, not the kind they forced you to do at school in my day. I can’t hit, catch or throw a ball for toffee. The only time I appreciated P.E. was when we had a more relaxed game of netball during mock exams. It got rid of all the stress and tension I was carrying in my body. I’m not telling everyone to play competitive sport, nor am I telling you to go for a run.

What I am saying is that exercise takes many forms, it might take a little time and effort to find something that suits you, but it’s important.

I found modern jive. I was obsessed, danced every day if I could. I was fit, strong and my mental health was the best it’s ever been. I got burn out from working too hard, ended up suffering with CFS/ME. I’ve tried jive once since then, it’s too energetic for me. It’s quite a balancing act these days and I don’t do as much exercise as I want or should do but I have found/rediscovered alternatives:

Walking

Walking is a favourite – you get to combine exercise with the enjoyment of nature, take a friend and you’ve got a social occasion too. You can go at your own pace and choose the distance too; if you need walking aids that’s fine. We’ve discovered that the impact of a person’s feet on the floor helps with diseases like dementia by sending more blood to the brain. Presumably, this helps the brain create new pathways. Remember to take some water with you.

Dance & Keep-Fit

If you can walk, you can dance – try a sedate one. If you can’t walk you can dance. Wheelchair dancing, and wheelchair team sports are coming to the forefront – just look at the superhumans at the paralympics.

If you haven’t got a wheelchair, you can exercise on an ordinairy chair, there are plenty of DVDs & YouTube videos at different levels to try like the one below. This gets the body moving without the fear of falling over for people who struggle with balance.

Other Low Impact Forms Of Movement

I’m not a competent swimmer but it’s another low impact activity for those of us with joint problems. Yoga, pilates and T’ai Chi are also good and will  help with balance and mobility.

There’s a special place in my heart for horseriding. Again, enjoying the countryside (if you hack out) and experiencing animal therapy simultaneously. You don’t have to be an expert and there is a very special organisation called Riding For The Disabled (RDA) if you have any additional needs.

It’s good to push yourself a little, but please be sensible about it. Consulting a doctor is never a bad thing before starting anything new, especially if you have any health concerns. Gentle exercise, whatever your ability, is much better than lying in bed all day – that just makes you more susceptible to infections. Even just sitting in a chair is better than that and can prevent chest infections.

Nature, Animal & Horticultural Therapies

I think this is the most accessible of all the suggestions, and therefore my favourite. Nature, animals and plant life, in some form or another, are everywhere.

Nature

There’s something about the shape of trees that’s proven to boost human beings. Look out of a window in a city and you’ll be entertained by the antics of the pigeons at the very least. Put a bird feeder up and you’ll attract garden birds for you to enjoy; watching nature programs or reading books on the subject is not only a learning experience but is soothing and joyful too.

Better still – if you can go outside, get in amongst it – maybe combine it with your exercise. Feel the breeze on your face, blowing the cobwebs away; smell the air, feel the texture of the leaves, wonder at and admire every little thing.  Drink it all in, set your senses alight. It is proven that being in nature is good for your health, even just looking at pictures of it. Nature reduces stress which has so many negative effects on the body.

Animal Therapy

Again, animal therapy has numerous health benefits and is obviously a lot more interactive and tactile than immersing yourself in nature. This is really popular in hospitals and I’ve been privileged enough to watch it firsthand in this setting. Animals reduce high blood pressure – stroking or just being in their company. Another serotonin-producing sensory experience, and, I believe, because communication is on an instinctive, higher level to verbalisation, it brings the best out in people who might otherwise struggle with human interaction. It doesn’t just happen in hospitals, those wonderful hard-working assistance dogs provide this unwittingly, in addition to helping out with daily tasks. All animals do in fairness – again, dog walking and horse riding combine animal therapy with exercise and possibly social interaction/therapy.

Horticultural Therapy

Gardening is a fantastic activity. It’s versatile and can be adapted to suit pretty much everyone. You can sow seeds, prune and shape things, water weed or plant trees, dig ponds, create absolutely anything. Indoors or outdoors. The health benefits are numerous and you’re improving your environment at the same time. Horticultural therapy has been a lifeline for me. There is a chemical in the soil which is a natural anti-depressant which works its way into the bloodstream.

Gardening is great exercise and gets you out in nature too, but if you haven’t got any outdoor space, fear not, tending houseplants has a similar effect and if you choose the right ones, they can also detoxify the atmosphere in your home.

Creative Therapies

Getting your creativity flowing in whichever way(s) you like will do you the world of good. It could take the form of gardening, cooking/baking, drawing, painting, sculpting, modelling, writing, acting, dancing, playing/listening or singing along to music. It could be a combination of all of them or something completely different. Physical, cerebral or artful – skill doesn’t matter, nobody is judging you, just clear your mind by focusing on something you enjoy. It’s calming, restorative and singing and dancing have the added benefits of keeping you fit and increasing lung capacity. You never know, you might even discover a hidden talent…

Singing is particularly helpful for those with communication, memory and/or swallowing difficulties. Music is quite possibly my favourite item on this list – it is so powerful and effective in its own right – it has the ability to influence your mood. Music is so far reaching, there is something to suit everyone (personally, I’d stick with the upbeat tracks)  and can be used in conjunction with the other ideas:

Arts and crafts are a fantastic idea. With so much choice, there will be something to suit pretty much everyone, you can suggest simple colouring or drawing, finger painting, cutting and sticking or modelling with polymer clay or even plasticine. There are multiple health benefits associated with tapping into creativity, for example clay, plasticine and polymer clay are great for people with dementia in particular as they help motor skills – just watching is also beneficial. Just remember to enjoy it, you don’t have to create a masterpiece.

Why not whizz something up in the kitchen? This can be a great social activity and therapeutic at the same time. Exploring new recipes, making and trying them out together can help autistic people with hypersensitivity to tastes and/or textures gently expand their palette. Activities like kneading dough can be a pleasant sensory experience and help with motor skills. The best thing about this type of creative therapy is that you are simultaneously completing a daily living task – in other words, that’s tonight’s tea sorted out too!

Whack on the wireless whilst being creative and sing along – it helps with mood and cognition.

Interaction Or Social Therapy

Human interaction is a basic need. Humans are social creatures, even the apparently curmudgeonly ones of us still get lonely… Humans are herd animals – just think of the cost to your mental health in lockdown when you weren’t allowed to see your family and friends. Social isolation can be even more profound for older or differently abled people, it can be a daily occurrence.

Human interaction can mean so much, a smile can hold so much value. People with dementia especially need cheerful chats as they often mirror the emotion of the people they’re talking to. It is always best to remain calm if the person you’re caring for is angry, agitated or triggered in some way, not always easy but leaving the room for five minutes or so then changing the subject on your return can work. It isn’t them being their true self, it’s the disease. They will enjoy the conversation that follows. The touch of a hand and a little small talk or a phone call can boost anyone’s mood, it works both ways. With everything going digital, local banks closing and self-service checkouts, I fear we’re hanging out the older generation to dry and sooner or later ourselves – ignoring the technology gap for the minute – some people without families will not see or speak to a soul from one week to the next. The importance of community is being diminished and the wellbeing of those who have given us so much is being sacrificed alongside it. I wonder if we weren’t better off even half a century ago.

Cognition

As many a mobile app will tell you, brain training is the new craze. Less of a fad than other crazes, it is important, but there are some technology-free good old fashioned ways to keep your brain agile. Personally, I think the technology-free ways are better for you; studies are showing that social media among other things are reducing concentration levels.

Reading, whether in print, braille or audiobook is very enjoyable, as are puzzles like wordsearches, crosswords, sudoku and even a jigsaw on a rainy afternoon. Puzzles help stimulate the brain, a bit like exercise, use it or lose it. There are many different types of puzzle and with a little creativity, they can be adapted to the individual. Much better than just watching T.V. We play an adapted form of scrabble with a relative with dementia. It’s almost like it’s been crossed with Pictionary – we think of the word that can be spelled with the tiles in hand then describe the word. The answer is guessed – it’s always a good laugh especially when some choice words are guessed!

General conversation and especially reminiscing also help the brain create new pathways. Try bringing back memories either with the aid of photographs, music or just conversation can be comforting, funny and give the care receiver confidence to talk. It can be really interesting for you too.

How ever you do it, keeping your brain occupied and agile is so important, as with physical health and fitness, it’s a case of use it or lose it.

I do urge you to try and amalgamate some of these ideas into your routine, it really makes a world of difference, and you don’t have to do all of them all the time. Just have fun with it, like the remarkable people at Worcester Snoezelen.