As a home visit physiotherapy service we see a lot of elderly patients whose mobility and independence has declined often due to an extended period in hospital.

So I thought it could be useful to share some of my experiences on how to help keep your elderly relative mobile. After all prevention is often better than any cure!

 1. Exercise:

This is by far the most important thing that anyone can do to preserve strength and mobility. In all honesty there really is no substitute for exercising and keeping fit and strong throughout one's whole life. For many of the elderly patients that we see, the main problem is that they have not kept fit and active enough over the preceding years.

As a physiotherapist I find this extremely sad as this is a totally preventable situation and if only they had kept fit and done some exercise they would have had very few problems. By exercise I don't necessarily mean running the marathon, it can be as simple as going for a good walk each day.

2. Address Problems Early

If you believe that your mother, father or relative seems to be getting slower, is having balance problems, is falling over at times or is generally having difficulty getting around the house then address the problem straight away. Don't simply think that it is old age and that it happens to everyone. The sooner they have an assessment and the reason for their decline in mobility is determined the easier it will be to get them back to normal.

The hardest patients to help are those whose mobility has been declining over many years and they have now become completely bed-bound. In my experience it is much easier to make a difference for patients when I see them at an early stage. For some patients it can be a relatively simple matter to give them some help, advice and home based exercises that will help improve their strength and balance and get them moving again.

3. Get a Physiotherapist to Visit

Obviously I am biased here but I truly believe that by addressing things early enough and getting a good physiotherapist to see your relative it is usually possible to make a big difference. Physiotherapy can make a huge difference to the mobility of patients and if done early enough it can work extremely quickly. Even with patients whose mobility has been declining for a long time, physiotherapy can usually make a significant difference.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog post. For anyone reading this blog who hasn't come across our site before: we are a home visit physiotherapy service, based in Lichfield but serving anywhere within a 25 minute drive including areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Cannock, Burton and Rugeley. We offer a wide range of services including paediatric physiotherapy, post-operative rehabilitation, neurological physiotherapy and neck and back pain relief. If you need further information or would like to book an appointment we can be contacted on 0788 428 1623 or via enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk