What Does Aging Mean to You?
Let’s talk about Overcoming Ageism in order to “Age Well”
But first let’s get a few things out of the way.
The Stigma of Aging
When we think about aging often, we think of the most negative aspects of “growing old”, words such as frail, sick, confused, slow, and weak dominate our ideas of what it means to age. Our society has placed limitations on the older population by constructing “acceptable” tasks a person in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s should safely be performing.
Ageism Epidemic
Unfortunately, this mindset has contributed to an epidemic of ageism which has significantly contributed to declining physical performance and strength in the elderly.
Our 76-year-old neighbor should NOT be outside shoveling this heavy snow …
My 82-year-old mother cannot be outside in her garden alone, what if she were to fall?
I’m going to help Mrs. Clark bring all those heavy groceries inside. She could easily hurt herself trying to lift her overpacked grocery bags.
These are all examples of how our society has created an imbalance of “caring for the elderly” by inadvertently placing unnecessary limitations on the physical strength and performance of this population. The significance of this misgiving is a population living at their One-Repetition Maximum (1RM).
1RM Living can be defined as when the demands of your life are at or exceeding your maximum capacity. You can perform a necessary movement/transfer but only once.
An everyday example of 1RM might be a single sit-to-stand transfer from your chair that causes shortness of breath or takes more time than required to get you to the bathroom in time to avoid an accident
OR
Catching your toe on the hallway rug resulting in a severe fracture from falling rather than tumbling and getting back up (maybe a little sore and bruised but without significant injury)
How Physical Therapy Can Help
So, what needs to be done? “Risky” populations benefit from “Risky” interventions! What is required of this population to decrease the risk of serious injury or frailty is loading at a submaximal effort, as well as advanced dynamic balance strategies. This may include the following, under the guidance of our physical therapists:
lifting free weights
dancing
dual tasks balance games
and more.
At Progressive Physical Therapy we are committed to offering the necessary tools to every patient allowing them to thrive through all phases of life. We want you to remain safe and confident performing tasks around your home as well as in the community without fear of your mobility becoming a problem.
