The Struggle of maintaining mobility as we age

As we get older many factors start to effect our quality of life. One of the greatest is the battle to stay active and mobile. Loosing our mobility doesn’t only impact one aspect of our life, but can have a large swept impact on our lifestyle and quality of life overall.

How would you affect the things that make up your quality of life? It isn’t so easy is it, it depends on a combination of things, such a social, physical and financial. Non of the factors making up our desired quality of life changes as we get older. When we speak about retirement we envision a life of recreation, relaxation, travel and all the things we enjoy in life. Whilst we know that we need to plan financially for these years of freedom it is also vital to manage our health in order to be able to continue to live life to the fullest.

However there are things we can’t plan for such as sudden health problems, diseases and disabilities and apart from effecting our well being they very quickly start to effect our quality of life by restraining us from doing what we want when we want to do it. Whilst some of these conditions pass and it is acceptable to rely on family and friends throughout this period to assist with basic tasks and help us to remain social, we don’t want to rely on their help on an ongoing basis. This is the time that we will face one of our biggest challenges as seniors, our battle to remain mobile.

Recent studies are linking a lack of mobility to an increase in other health problems. Researchers are finding that as seniors become less active, they tend to suffer further health deterioration that interferes with daily living.

The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Pilot study, consisted of a controlled, randomized trial of 424 older adults.

The study compared the effectiveness of physical versus non-exercise health interventions with at-risk seniors. Among many fascinating discoveries, the study concluded that health-interventions targeting mobility could have a much greater impact on the overall health of seniors than was previously thought. When paired with past research - that demonstrates that loss of mobility results in loss of independence, nursing home admission and accelerated mortality - these new insights demonstrate a direct correlation between mobility, and the maintenance of quality and quantity of life.

What To Do

It is very simple. The more active we remain, the more mobility we maintain. Essentially, exercise allows us to maintain muscular strength as well as bone-density. Not only do these factors keep us upright and strong, they can help prevent - and protect us from - the kind of bone fractures that result from falling in our older years.  

You may now say that you know that now, but no-one told you about this 5 years ago when it should’ve mattered, whilst now it is too late… Perhaps you have already been effected by a health issue which is affecting your mobility. However you should always maximize on the mobility that you are still capable of. It is possible to regain some of your lost mobility.

The impact of needing to use a mobility aid, such as a walker or an electrical device can be depressing and demoralizing and no-one like to admit that they are in need of help and can’t do the things they used to do.

Unfortunately this is something that we have to get used to, we will all be in need of help and assistance at some stage. This is nothing to be ashamed of, it is simply life. However this doesn’t mean that life can’t be enjoyable anymore, it just means that you have to find away around it. It is detrimental to stay as mobile as possible to avoid more serious health deterioration.

There are many different options and aids available to help with remaining mobile, so it’s just a matter of choosing which one is the right one for you. If you feel overwhelmed by the choices and want to be sure you make the right decision, you should speak to a healthcare specialist, who will be able to do a thorough assessment and objective recommendation.

Electric Mobility scooters offer great help if you are mobile but don’t have a drivers license and don’t want to rely on public transport. They allow you to ride to any appointments or visit your local shops if they are too far for a walk and help you carry groceries that may be too heavy to carry by hand.

All you might struggle with is getting in and out of bed and you find yourself getting sore and stiff from all the lying down as you find it to difficult to get in and out. Have you considered an adjustable bed, changing the height of the bed or just lift up to a sitting position may help you to more easily get in and out and enjoy more time with friends and family.

Don’t forget that the best way to stay active, is to stay mobile!