By Care Resources
Mentally making the choice is the easy part.
It’s getting out of the recliner and onto your feet and into action that will test your resolve.
But when you consider that it’s your very health and welfare at risk, the team at Care Resources is in your corner and ready to encourage you in ways that keep you active during Michigan’s ch-ch-chilly and challenging winter months.
“With anything, it’s the first step out the door that’s the hardest,” says Garth Falkins, recreational therapy manager for Care Resources, a community-based program for people 55 and older seeking to remain in their homes.
“The key is to motivate yourself and remind yourself that you don’t want to just sit around and watch TV all day,” Falkins says. “We have programs in place at our day center, and also strategies to help people at home who want to promote their well-being.
“It helps to actually make a plan of what you might like to do, and that can grow into a long list, anything from jogging in place to doing some simple exercises to taking a walk – even if it’s just around the home or up and down a hallway or out to the mailbox and back.”
Even playing a board game, reading a book, going through your coin collection, scrapbooking or sorting photos will enhance your day more so than staring at the tube or taking another nap.
Falkins emphasizes how gathering with others for social interaction can help repel the seasonal doldrums and positively affect your mental and emotional health.
“COVID really demonstrated to us all how important it is to stay connected with others,” Falkins says. “Our programs provide the incentive to do that.”
For those who qualify, the day center at 4150 Kalamazoo Ave. SE in Grand Rapids lures with an array of activities that include bingo games, exercise options, crafts, music and much more. Transportation is available to and from clients’ homes. The center draws participants from Kent and parts of surrounding counties – 872 square miles in all.
Technology also can be your ally. Consider FaceTiming or Zooming a friend or relative. Or check out care.coach, a platform allowing you to talk to a friendly avatar to provide compassionate 24-7 psychosocial support.
Falkins says it’s important you try to stick with plans to stay active, and engage others in your quest to be healthy. Reach out to community centers, churches, schools, health clubs – anywhere people gather.
Falkins emphasizes that “getting older doesn’t mean you pull away.” On the contrary, he says, “people 55 and older are a lot wiser and have a lot more to give and to get from pursuing healthy options.”
In any case, “try to make the effort,” Falkins says. “Begin with baby steps, and build from there. In the long run, you’ll thank yourself for it.”
Learn more about Care Resources by visiting CareResources.org or calling 616-913-2006.
