At Parkland, we are dedicated to helping our residents live their best lives. We understand that wellness plays a significant role in wellness and we have developed a signature wellness program designed to stimulate your mind, body, and soul. Our wellness teams work with residents to provide activities and programs customized to your interests, goals, and preferences.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, physical activity often decreases with age. By age 75, about one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity. Physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous to achieve significant health benefits such as,

• Reduced risk of falls, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes
• Reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety while promoting well-being and happiness
• And ability to maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints and can control joint swelling and pain caused by arthritis.

Monique Albert, a Wellness Coach at Parkland in the Valley in Quispamsis, New Brunswick has developed a list of exercises that she regularly does with residents that you can do at home with the help of a loved one.

Note: Always consult a doctor before starting a new exercise routine. If you have any muscle or joint injuries or previous surgeries, be sure to ask your doctor or physical therapist what stretches are best for you. Never stretch to the point of pain or discomfort and do not hold your breath during stretches.

Home Exercises

Sitting up straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands on your knees, do the following to warm up your limbs:

1. Look up, look down. Repeat 5 times
2. Look left, look right. Repeat 5 times
3. Move your wrists in a circular motion 5 times in one direction and 5 times in the other direction
4. Putting your arms up and out to the side, move them in small circles to big circles 5 times in one direction and 5 times in the other direction
5. Move your ankles in a circular motion 5 times in one direction and 5 times in the other direction.

Take a break

While standing behind the chair, holding onto the back do the following:

1. Move your hips around in a circular motion 5 times in one direction and 5 times in the other direction
2. Go up on your toes and back down to your heels. Repeat 10 times
3. With one foot firmly planted on the ground, kick the other foot back behind you. Switch and do it with the opposite foot.

Take a break

While sitting up straight in the chair with your feet flat on the floor and your arms down at your side, do the following:

1. Take a deep breath in, move your arms up above your head and look up
2. Slowly breath out, bring your arms back down and breath out. Repeat step 1 and step 2, three times.

Great job!

To learn more about Parkland’s signature Harmony program, please contact us.

---