Balance Exercises to Keep You Steady

Every winter, RVNAhealth treats dozens of patients — both at home and at Rehab by RVNAhealth — who are recovering from winter falls. Falls can cause broken and fractured bones, head trauma, and other significant issues.

The following progression of balance exercises, recommended by RVNAhealth physical therapists, can help you improve your lower body strength and your ability to control your body’s center of gravity — which are both very important to avoiding slips and falls.  Start with the Single Leg Stance, and add the others as you improve.  In addition to the exercises below, fun activities like Tai-chi and yoga are great ways to improve balance for some people.  Everyone’s risk of slipping and falling increases with icy winter weather.  But exercising to improve balance is a smart year-round practice for us all.

RVNA’s physical and occupational therapists can adapt exercises to fit a patient’s needs and medical history. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a balance consultation, please contact RVNAhealth at 203-438-5555

1. Single Leg Stance
Stand on one leg and maintain your balance. (You can use a sturdy chair for support.) Then repeat with the other leg.

  • Repeat:            1 time
  • Hold:                10 seconds
  • Complete:       1 set
  • Perform:          Once a day

2. Single Leg Stance Variations
Forward
Stand on one leg and maintain your balance.  Next, hold your free leg out in front of your body.  Then return to original position.  Maintain a slightly bent knee on the standing leg.  Repeat with the other leg.

  • Repeat:            1 time
  • Hold:                10 seconds
  • Complete:       1 set
  • Perform:          Once a day

Lateral
Stand on one leg and maintain your balance.  Next, hold your free leg out to the side of your body.  Then return to original position.  Maintain a slightly bent knee on the standing leg.  Repeat with the other leg.

  • Repeat:            1 time
  • Hold:                10 seconds
  • Complete:       1 set
  • Perform:          Once a day

3. Tandem Stance and Walk
Stand with one foot directly in front of the other so that the toes of one foot touch the heel of the other.  Progress forward by taking steps with your heel touching your toes with each step.  (Use a counter for support.)  Maintain your balance.

  • Repeat:            3 times
  • Hold:                1 second
  • Complete:       1 set
  • Perform:          Once a day

4. Sit to Stand

Sit down in a firm chair.  Align your feet, knees, and hips so you’re sitting up tall with a small arch in your lower back.  Put your hands on your thighs.

Stand without moving your feet.  Engage your leg muscles and lift yourself up from the chair  in one fluid motion.  Once you’ve risen to the point that your knees are straight but your back is still arched, slowly lower yourself back down into your original seated position.

  • Repeat:            8-10 times
  • Hold:                3 seconds
  • Complete:       1 set
  • Perform:          Once a day

When Assistance is Needed, but Medical Care Might Not Be

With more and more seniors choosing to live at home in their later years, the logical question is how they can do so safely. Many will need medical care – such as nursing and rehabilitation therapies provided by RVNAhealth — at some point as they age. But what about the people who don’t need medical intervention, but do need help with the tasks of daily life? That’s where RVNAhealth comes in.

RVNAhealth offers caregiver services to seniors at home, improving their safety and comfort, while giving their families peace of mind.  Aide services run the gamut from simple companionship and errands to light housekeeping, meal preparation, dressing, and medication reminders.  RVNAhealth can provide whatever level of service and for whatever duration of time a client needs – whether it’s a few hours a week, full-time, or live-in care.  Family members can also benefit from these services.  People who are caring for their elderly parents or relatives can turn to RVNAhealth for respite, allowing them to take time for themselves to go to work, attend an event, or even take a vacation. And, unlike medical care, these services do not require a doctor’s prescription.

RVNAhealth allows seniors and families to take advantage of what they need now, and increase care as their needs increase.  And, with a nurse manager on staff providing supervision, the organization is able to determine if and when medical care might also be appropriate.

When navigating the array of services available to seniors, it can be difficult to determine what’s covered by insurance and what isn’t. Care that is medically necessary is usually covered by insurance, including  Medicare; aide services are typically not covered by insurance and are privately paid by the client. Caregiver services provided by an approved home care agency may qualify for reimbursement through a client’s long-term care insurance policy.

RVNAhealth provides the full spectrum of services that seniors may need.  Together, the organizations are a vital part of the plan of care for the elderly in our community. To learn more about how RVNAhealth might help you or a loved one, contact us at 203-894-5000

Jessica, RN

In times of 'normalcy,' Jessica is our CNA Supervisor and Chronic Care Manager. But when COVID-19 began to take hold, Jessica elected to return to the field to help care for patients she had served in days gone by -- this time as a hospice nurse.Continue reading