One in four seniors fall each year, though that number is expected to be higher due to unreported incidents. Falls happen for a variety of reasons ranging from low vision to poor balance. While you might not be able to reduce all of your fall risk factors, you can take significant steps with new habits. Balance exercises for seniors can be the foundation of your fall prevention plan.
Benefits of Balance Exercises for Seniors
Strength, balance, and flexibility all play into reducing your risk of falling while at home or while out and about in your town. When you work on improving your balance you can find more benefits than just feeling steadier on your feet. Balance training for seniors can:
- Decrease fall risk
- Improve proprioception, or your ability to know where you are in space
- Decrease risk of injury to your lower extremities, like your knees or ankles
- Improve cognitive function
- Enhance feelings of self-esteem and empowerment
- Increase coordination
Best Balance Exercises for Seniors
Before you begin any new additions to your current exercise regimen, be sure you speak with your physician. In many cases, you can even ask your doctor for a referral to a physical or occupational therapist who can evaluate your current balance and provide ideas for exercises to improve balance for seniors that you can work on daily at home. It’s also important that you never try any balance work if you are feeling lightheaded or ill, and that you perform your exercises near a chair, wall, or sturdy grab bar in case you need it during your workout.
Balance training for seniors can incorporate a variety of exercises or approaches. Yoga, for example, can be done standing or seated and focuses on balance as well as body awareness. Check your local senior center or park district calendar of events for a yoga class to try. Tai chi is another excellent option for balance work in a group setting.
You can also work on balance exercises at home, such as alternating standing on one foot, marching, or grapevine walking down your hallway. Sitting on a balance ball while simply looking from one side to another can also increase balance and spatial awareness.
Yoga for Seniors
The best balance exercise for seniors, or at least one of the top contenders, is yoga. Because it is easy to adjust based on ability, yoga for seniors can be done by almost anyone who has a desire to connect to their body and breath.
You can find classes for gentle yoga for seniors at local yoga studios, as well as through local senior centers or parks and recreation programming. If getting out of the house to attend a class isn’t for you right now, enlist the help of a beginner app or YouTube video, as long as you are finding classes that are designed for beginning yoga for seniors.
A few poses that you will likely see during your yoga practice include:
- Mountain pose with prayer hands, which will draw you into yogi breathing while helping you connect with your full foot on the ground.
- Mountain pose, which encourages a solid foundation while improving shoulder mobility.
- Star with hands on hips, which works on balance in a wide-legged position and improves hip mobility.
- Warrior I, a traditional pose that stretches the hips while improving upper body strength.
- Warrior II, another traditional pose that stretches the inner leg lines and builds upper body strength.
Benefits of Gentle Yoga for Seniors
While yoga certainly works on balance, there is even more to love about this timeless practice. Gentle yoga for seniors, whether practiced by beginners or more advanced yogis, can bring benefits such as:
- Increased flexibility and mobility, which can decrease the risk of injury during falls and increase the possibility of getting up independently if a fall does occur
- Improved strength and endurance. Holding yoga poses is quite a workout and can fine-tune accessory muscles as well as larger muscles like the quads and core.
- Enhanced mind-body connection. Holding poses for a few breaths and moving from pose to pose while intentionally breathing in and out is a form of meditation. This mind-breath connection can lead to relaxation and even improved concentration that goes with the yogi off the mat.
- Feelings of mastery and empowerment. You can measure your progress in yoga by how you feel during and after a session. Knowing you can hold a pose longer means you are getting stronger, which can make anyone feel proud and ready to take on any challenge.
Chair Yoga for Seniors
Not all older adults feel comfortable doing standing yoga poses or having to get down on the floor to complete their yoga practice, and that’s okay. In fact, one of the benefits of yoga for seniors is that poses are easy to adjust and adapt based on ability. Chair yoga for seniors brings all of the benefits of yoga to those who wish to stay seated.
A few of our favorite poses include:
- Overhead stretch, an adapted side bend that opens the side body. This pose is excellent for relieving stiff feelings in the trunk, and can even help the yogi to breathe a bit more deeply.
- Neck stretch, a simple stretch that can increase mobility in the neck and upper spine.
- Reverse arm hold, which can open up the chest and increase mobility in the shoulders.
- Chair warrior, which can increase mobility in the shoulders as well as build a bit of strength and endurance.
- Chair spinal twist, an adapted way to get a yogi twist, which can help with digestion.
How Legend Senior Living Brings Balance to Life
At Legend Senior Living residences across the country, associates focus on new ways to enhance the overall wellness of every resident. One way we do this is by taking a multi-faceted approach to fall reduction. We design residences with environmental adjustments that reduce fall risk. Our wide hallways, low pile carpeting, grab bars, and well-designed coloring throughout every Legend residence help seniors independently navigate throughout their home confidently.
Further, every apartment is just the right size and includes plenty of non-glare natural lighting thanks to plenty of windows. These adjustments make it easier to avoid falls. In addition to abundant natural light, our indoor lighting fixtures are purposefully placed to reduce shadows on the floor, which can lead to confusion and increased fall risk.
But our approach to fall reduction doesn’t stop with our environmental design. We also incorporate balance training for seniors into our group exercise classes that are offered to residents throughout the week.
The associates also work hand-in-hand with local physical therapists to perform regular fall-risk assessments and identify residents who could benefit from some more extensive balance exercises.
Don’t wait until you or your loved one has a fall to research your options at Legend Senior Living. We are here to help you meet your health goals, whether that is balance work, nutritious meals, meeting new friends, or enjoying a bit of extra assistance with daily tasks.
Learn More About Legend Senior Living and Schedule Your Personal Visit!