The Morning Pointe Foundation, with guest speaker geriatric occupational therapist Andrew Klope, MSOT, OTR/L, therapy program manager with HealthPRO Heritage Rise Senior Living, recently presented a virtual seminar on the importance of exercise and active engagement as we age.
The presentation on July 14 was the latest in the Morning Pointe Foundation’s Caregiver Café series, free webinars providing education for seniors, their families and other caregivers.
Klope has spent the past 10 years specializing in geriatric therapy, particularly in assisted living facilities and independent living facility settings. He holds specialty certifications in memory and dementia care and is certified in LSVT – Lee Silverman Voice Training – for Parkinson’s disease interventions.
The session focused on how an active lifestyle benefits physical, mental and emotional health and how seniors can add an appropriate level of activity to their lifestyle.
For example, physically, even moderate exercise, such as walking or gardening, lowers the risk of heart disease, decreases bone loss and reduces the risk of falls.
Cognitively, exercise also has significant benefits.
“Of all the lifestyle changes that have been studied, participating in regular physical exercise appears to be one of the best things that you can do to reduce your risk of dementia,” Klope shared. “That is an amazing fact that many people don’t realize.”
Emotionally, a lifestyle of exercise helps the body and mind to relax and helps nerve cell connections, which fosters a sense of well-being.
Klope also discussed some ways that seniors can add activity to their day – from group exercise classes to simply making an extra lap around the block or choosing to stand while doing favorite activities. Even individuals with dementia can participate in physical activity with simple things like painting, folding towels or sorting items.
Several webinar registrants also participated in a question-and-answer session with Klope, which is a standard feature of the Caregiver Cafés.
The session is available to watch on the Morning Pointe Foundation website: https://morningpointe.com/caregiver-cafe/. The site also includes a full calendar of scheduled speakers for other Caregiver Cafés.
The Morning Pointe Caregiver Café wellness series connects experts on senior living and care with those experiencing the physical and mental effects of aging and their families for free.
The Morning Pointe Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living founded by Tennessee-based senior healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow. The 501(c)3 nonprofit public service organization was created in 2014 to provide caregiver support programs, sponsor educational awareness events, and fund clinical scholarships to advance the care of seniors throughout the Southeast. Morning Pointe Senior Living, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, develops, owns, and manages 37 Morning Pointe personal care, assisted living, and The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence memory care communities in five southeastern states.
