Older people encouraged to keep active

OLDER people in Warrington are being encouraged to take extra care and stay active over the winter months in order to keep as strong as they can.
Older people can become frail quickly during the winter as a result of staying indoors for long periods of time. Health experts from NHS England have come up with five handy tips which could help the elderly keep frailty at bay.
Kieran Murphy, Medical Director from NHS England, Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral said: “By staying strong, older people can lead a healthy and more fulfilling life.
“We would all like to see our older relatives and friends enjoying their later years, as much as they can. There are a few simple things that older people can do to slow down the onset of frailty, and to help those who could already be described as frail to avoid their condition from deteriorating quickly.
“By making sure they eat well and move around as much as they can in a safe environment, people will see a positive difference in their physical and mental well-being.”
NHS England will next week launch ‘The earlier, the better’ public awareness campaign, which is designed to encourage people to nip health problems in the bud and avoid unnecessary, stays in hospital. The campaign is particularly targeting people aged over 60 years old and the friends and family of older people.
Top five tips:
1. Keep active: Lack of movement and exercise can mean people become frail quicker. Using the stairs, is a good source of exercise, but make sure that it is safe.
2. Eat well: Older people often experience a loss of appetite, by making sure eat at least one substantial hot meal each day with between meal snacks and hot drinks, they will remain strong for longer.
3. Exercise caution when taking medication, especially medicines that haven’t been prescribed by a doctor: Older people with frailty are very sensitive to medicines because the body has trouble getting rid of them. This can mean a normal dose of medicine can build-up in the body can cause an adverse reaction.
4. Take vitamin D supplements: Taking a Vitamin D supplement, commonly as a tablet combined with calcium, is associated with a reduced rate of falling for housebound older people.
5. Try to stay in touch with friends and family: Loneliness is itself a risk factor for depression, poor sleep, impaired thinking skills, higher use of health care with more GP visits, higher use of medication, and higher incidence of falls.