If you set a resolution for yourself back in January to work out more in 2022, hopefully you’re continuing to stay with it! Keeping up with an exercise regimen is a resolution we should all be putting into action. However, for seniors, many of whom take a number of medications for different health conditions, this is especially true.
Research is showing that, surprisingly, senior exercise prescribed by a doctor can be as advantageous as typically-prescribed medicines in preventing or treating many of the major causes of death. In one study, researchers compared and contrasted the benefits of senior exercise vs. medication. The finding consistently revealed that both medicines and exercise shared nearly the exact same results in decreasing deaths in people who had previously been identified as having a number of prevalent and severe health problems, like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
For example, the research found that participants with heart disease who exercised but didn’t take commonly-prescribed medications, like angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, statins, or antiplatelet drugs, had a comparable risk of dying from — or surviving — cardiovascular disease as individuals who were taking those medications.
Despite the many health benefits of senior exercise, analysts also explained how rare it is for medical professionals to “prescribe” exercising as an effective medical treatment. Huseyin Naci, a graduate student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, along with Dr. John Ioannidis, director of the Stanford Prevention Research Center in the Stanford University School of Medicine, worked jointly on the study, determining that, according to Naci, “We are not suggesting that anyone stop taking their medications. But maybe people could think long and hard about their lifestyles and talk to their doctors about whether exercise could and should be incorporated into their care.”
At Heaven at Home Senior Care, we are proud to help seniors stay as active as possible while achieving the best possible quality of life. As the most trusted provider of home care assistance in Denton and neighboring areas, we proudly supply transportation and accompaniment to physical fitness classes as well as companionship to encourage, motivate, and make exercising enjoyable. We also provide many other home care services that are specifically personalized to meet each person’s unique physical fitness and health goals.
Reach out to us online or at (940) 380-0500 to discover more about how we can help improve the overall wellbeing and health for a senior you love with regular senior exercise! Whether you’re looking for only a few hours of support each week, full-time, 24-hour care, or anything in between, a perfectly matched caregiver can provide the appropriate level of care to help a senior you love thrive in the comfort of home.