subject: Winter Mobility For The Elderly [print this page] When it comes to the winter months the people who feel the cold the most are the older generations. This is because it becomes more difficult to exercise and so doing activities that help keep them warm are few are far between. Many older people will stay indoors for the majority of the winter due to both the cold, as well as icy weather that have especially been very prevalent this winter. However for many old people who like to try and be active this is very restricting for them if they can't go about their usual routine of going to the local shops.
One thing that could help with this is a mobility scooter. Although it is advisable not to take these out in icy weather, it is very handy for quickly popping to the shop, parking directly outside with a very short space to walk and picking up what is needed. The furry of Christmas shoppers are most likely to be very jealous of their parking spot! The mobility scooter will help keep these people active and still able to go about their daily routines.
However if it remains icy or snowy, mobility scooters will be no good. Many elderly who do stay in their house should try and do as much exercise as possible to keep warm inside. This may be something as simple as walking around their living room as a form of basic exercise. A stair lift is also great in these situations if they have trouble with using the stairs. Having a stair lift means that they can easily access all area of the house to gain maximum exercise space. Having a stair lift will help overcome problems they may have with getting up the stairs and will make them feel more mobile within their own home. Therefore the ice and snow do not seem such a big problem if you can make the most out of being indoors!
The best thing to do is to help elder members of your family when it comes to this time of year, and if they want to go anywhere offer to take them. A trip to the local panto at this time of year is a great idea, especially if it is anything like Jack in the Beanstalk in York. A recent review of this production described part of the show where the Dame makes her entrance on a stair lift. However when questioned about this by her son, "Mam, what you doing on a stair lift?" The Dame replies, "It's not a stair lift, it's a star lift- It's for stars who need lifting!
