Forum Discussion

I am a Personal Trainer for Aged Care and would love to help all Lifestyle staff in this position. First of all, put great upbeat music on, get them to start tapping fingers on their knees to the music, then clapping, standing and create own moves from there. I always end session with a game as well. Move around, smile and have fun and it will be contagious. 20 minutes is long enough. I can give more detailed advice - free. I will leave my number here or contact Golden Carers for it. Sandy 0488995511

There is a program called EMAA, which is specifically designed for the elderly with gentle exercise routines. Our residents love this every Monday but I do believe you have to attend a short course so you are properly trained. Easy Moves for Active Ageing through Active Ageing Australia.

I have everyone sitting in a circle doing exercises one exercise is kicking multible soft balls around and another I play balloon tennis both games are great exercise and they have a lot of fun

i get the residents in a circle and do the exercises in front of them sitting on a chair i start from feet heel and toe, then kicking, then get the arms out in front of me and bend wrists up and down we usually say where are we going to dig to today, yell out some where interesting like today we are going to luner park to the easter show, have 2 sets of bending wrists then we have finger touching with our thumb then we blow kisses then stetch our arms out left and right, then we wave to each other and say good morning , all you do is have exercises with a twist i have most of the residents join in because they have a laugh and they are being active.

Chair Tai Chi is gentle exercise. You can purchase DVDs online.

(Just yesterday) I took the residents out on the patio.
I paired my speaker and phone and we did music exercises.
We used shakers (which I made out of plastic emoji Easter eggs) and shear scarves. The residents requested their songs and we moved at our own free will.
In between I would throw out a trivia question, Two truths and a lie or something similar to take a little extra rest.
We also drank lemon tea in between songs to keep hydrated. These exercises are perfect for the wheelchair bound residents or those that are able to ambulate on their own. Almost all my activities are music based.

Hi Julie
I love your ideas
I ran my groups in a similar way
I think it keeps everyone engaged
Thanks for sharing

Hello Wai Yin, There are plenty of gentle exercises on Golden Carers. Look for Exercise Activity ideas for Seniors and the Elderly.. There may be something there for you, all the best Gwyneth

Thank you Susan