How a Home Care Provider Can Help Your Seniors Achieve Their Goal of Running a 5K

It seems that running is more popular than ever, and it is not just children and young adults who are strapping on running shoes, getting out, and pushing themselves toward better physical condition with regular running. Many senior adults are also enjoying the benefits of making running a regular part of their care routine and harbor goals of participating in races, such as 5Ks. 5K races are extremely popular as charity activities and health fair centerpieces, but they are also showing up on people’s life goal lists with greater frequency as people realize that these events are challenging enough to aspire to, but attainable enough to make the process doable and enjoyable.

If your aging loved ones have the goal of running a 5K, whether it is for a particular cause, with a special organization, or just because it is something that they want to do for themselves, a home care provider can be an exceptional resource for support, assistance, and encouragement that can help them pursue this goal in a healthy, safe, and enjoyable way.

Share these tips with your senior parents’ in home health care services provider so she can help them work toward their goal of running a 5K:

• Find a reason. Motivation is a powerful force, and without it, people are very unlikely to actually accomplish anything. As soon as your parents mention that they would like to run a 5K, ask them why. Do not make this a judgmental moment or something that sounds like you are going to try to talk them out of it, but a chance for them to express the motivation that makes them want to accomplish this goal. Even if they are motivated purely by the thought of accomplishing something that they have never done and that many other people may think that they will not be able to do, having this specific reason lets the care provider remind them what they are working towards throughout the training journey;
• Choose one. Rather than having your parents say that they want to run “a 5K”, have them be able to say that they want to run “this 5K” by researching with them and having them select a specific run that they want to do. This not only gives them a visual for the type of experience it will be in terms of the terrain, what they might want to wear, and the types of people who will be running alongside them, but it also gives them a definite end date so that they can work with a deadline in mind;
• Exercise together. Physical training is an important part of getting ready to run a 5K. Have the care provider talk with your parents’ doctor to find out what the best types of exercises would be to prepare their bodies for the challenges of the run and to work them toward the ability to run, jog, and walk for 5 kilometers. Integrate these training activities into their routine on a regular basis so that they can see their improvement and feel confident about working toward their goal.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home senior care in Blue Bell, PA, contact the caring professionals at Reliant At Home Care today (610) 674-6860.