Help Your Loved One Maintain Strength As They Age In Place

It’s no secret that once you are over 50 years of age you start to lose strength. This can be a prolonged, but slow loss of strength or it can happen quickly, but either way it will happen. The good news is that there are some things you can do or encourage your loved one who may be aging in place to do that can help with this loss of strength and in some cases reverse it.

First let’s discuss why strength matters to someone who is aging in place. There are a variety of reasons, but none more important than independence. As strength wanes there are things that become more and more difficult to do. For instance, simple things like getting yourself up from a chair or the couch can become real problems if you are aging in place. If you are not strong enough to get you from one chair to another, you may not be able to have the same independence that you desire.

Strength plays a role in all that you do as you age and it is important to make sure you are maintaining your strength and in some cases building on your strength as you pass 50 years of age and beyond. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) makes some suggestions on how you (or your loved one that you may be caring for) can maintain good strength as you age.

1.) Every meal should include 25 grams of protein (for women) and 30 grams of protein (for men).

2.) Increase the level of colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal and snack to stave off inflammation in your muscles.

3.) Use resistance strength exercises. Strength exercises do not have to include lifting heavy weights, in fact, simple resistance bands or even body weight exercises will do the trick.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be challenging each and every day, but with your encouragement your loved one who is aging in place may be able to rediscover some of the strength that she/he had when they were a little bit younger and that will help them to continue to live the independent life that they are craving.