Poke Sedentary Seniors’ Assets

A group of researchers at Ghent University in Belgium refused to sit still for seniors just sitting still. They realized how at least a moderately vigorous level of physical activity for at least an hour most days protects against unnecessary disability. Fewer than 20% of adults over age 60 meet the standard. The World Health Organization has declared increasing that percentage to be a public health priority.
     How do we persuade sedentary elders to start exercising and then keep at it? The researchers decided the answer begins with discovering why seniors who are fully capable of moving around do no more than sit around instead. A total of fifteen studies about that topic were reviewed, covering seniors ranging in age from 63 years to 79 years in the United Kingdom, Canada, the U.S., and Belgium.
     The first overall finding was that seniors often fail to realize how much of their time they are sitting around. A logical remedy, then, might be to encourage seniors to schedule times to vigorously exercise. For many of the seniors in the studies, weather is a limitation. A successful schedule will provide for alternatives to going outside when weather conditions are bad.
     But it isn’t so straightforward. You see, there is the matter of falling straight forward, or backward, or sideways, or, more precisely, fear of falling. Many of the seniors said they’d slipped into the habit of being sedentary after having taken a spill. The answer here might be to teach both ways to maintain your balance and to take a fall. Reassurance could come from checking for disorders such as osteoporosis and in providing mobility aids such as a walker, if indicated. Fatigue propensity is a consideration. Program exercise for the morning rather than late afternoon.
     Seniors are more likely to exercise when they are around others, so arranging for companionship helps. But the expectations of those others are a factor. A number of the seniors who were studied said that they perceived society expects them to sit as their primary mode of living. At the same time, some seniors said that they don’t go out into their neighborhoods because there aren’t enough places along the way to sit if they get tired. Longer term solutions to the problem of seniors being sedentary should include persuading those around the seniors to encourage them to exercise and persuading public facilities to install benches.

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