How Can Exercise Help a Loved One with COPD?
Elder Care in Plainview NY
Exercise can do a lot for your loved one with COPD, but it’s important to make sure that he’s healthy enough for the exercise he wants to do. Always check with your loved one’s doctor before beginning an exercise program.
His Body Uses Oxygen More Efficiently
Just by moving his body more, your loved one’s muscles, lungs, and circulatory system learn how to use the oxygen that he takes in more efficiently. Even just a little bit of exercise can help his body to learn these lessons. As he keeps up with his exercise plan, his body learns even more so that it can gain even greater levels of efficiency.
He Can Lose a Bit of Weight
Even carrying around only a few extra pounds can make your loved one’s heart and lungs work a little bit harder. With COPD, you want to make life as easy on your lungs as you can so that they aren’t taxed. One way to do that is to exercise and hopefully lose those few extra pounds that are just a little bit too much.
It Can Help His Mood
Exercise is a huge mood booster, primarily because of the endorphins that your loved one’s body releases as it works and moves. Being able to be active can also be a mood booster in and of itself, particularly if your loved one fears that he’ll be tied to an oxygen tanks for the rest of his life.
It Can Help Him Sleep Better
Moving just a little bit more during the day can help your loved one’s body to rest better at night. What this does is allows your loved one to sleep better and to therefore have more energy during the day. That becomes a positive cycle that pays off around the clock for your loved one.
It Can Help His Overall Quality of Life
By exercising, your loved one is able to do something concrete for himself and his body. That helps him to feel in control, even with a diagnosis of COPD. This in turn helps him to feel better about his whole life in general, which can never be a bad thing.
Let other family members and your loved one’s elder care providers know what kinds of exercise he’s planning to try so they can help out.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Plainview, NY, please contact the caring staff at Family First Home Companions. Serving all of Long Island. Call today: (631) 319-3961
Jennifer has specialized training in Alzheimer’s disease through the Long Island Alzheimer’s Association and the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation.She also volunteered her time with the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center of Long Island for 3 years by providing cognitive stimulation to an Alzheimer’s patient group.
Jennifer educates the community about elder care and speaks to caregiver support groups, senior centers, and at professional organizations.Topics include home safety, effective strategies for family caregiving, elder care planning, and awareness about elder abuse.
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