Walkers can be a great option for seniors to increase their mobility and leverage extra support while going about their daily activities. One in 6 adults ages 65 years and older reported using an assistive device – such as a walker or a cane – in 2013. However, it is also important for older adults to work on building strength and balance with various exercises for seniors with walkers to prevent injuries. According to the CDC, seniors who have been advised to use walking aids may be more susceptible to injuries and falls, so it is especially important for these individuals to do exercises for seniors with walkers that help improve their balance and strength.
It is always a good idea to consult a doctor before partaking in a new exercise regimen. Having a trusted friend or relative nearby while you exercise in case of a stumble is also recommended.
Sit to Stand
In this exercise, you will need a steady chair that does not roll, and a sturdy surface such as a table that you can use for support if needed. To set up for this exercise, place your chair in front of a table or countertop. While doing this exercise, you’ll be building leg strength and body mechanics, which are both critical for balance and preventing falls.
Step 1: Scoot forward in your chair so that your buttocks are at the very edge.
Step 2: Lean over your toes so that your chest is positioned above your feet and your body weight has shifted forward.
Step 3: Squeeze your gluteal muscles and slow stand up.
Step 4: Slowly return to a seated position.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 10 times, twice a day.
If necessary, use your hands to help you stand by placing them on the seat or arms of your chair and pushing yourself up to the standing position in step 3. But, the ultimate goal is to not use your hands at all.
Balance Exercises
These exercises are designed to improve your overall balance. They are some of the best exercises for seniors with walkers because your balance can tend to deteriorate as you rely on your walker. Keeping your balance as strong as possible is important, even if you’re using a walker most of the time because if you can’t use your walker for some reason, you’ll need to depend on your own body. For this exercise, you’ll need to stand in front of a solid surface like a table or counter.
Exercise 1: With your feet spread shoulder-width apart and your eyes open, remove your hands from the table or counter and hold for 10 seconds. Keep practicing until you can hold this position for 30 seconds. If you can do this without swaying, you can move onto the next step. If you sway or reach for the table or counter during the 30 seconds, keep working on this step until you no longer sway or reach out for support.
Exercise 2: Move your feet together, keep your eyes open, and hold with your hands off the table for 10 seconds. Keep practicing until you can hold this position without swaying or reaching out for support for 30 seconds. Then, move onto the next step.
Exercise 3: Stand on one foot, keep your eyes open, and hold with your hands off the table for 10 seconds. Keep practicing until you can hold this position without reaching out for support for 30 seconds. You may still sway slightly with this exercise. Switch feet and repeat the exercise.
Exercise 4: Once you can perform all three exercises with minimal swaying and without reaching out to the table for support, repeat them with your eyes closed. Our balance changes when we close our eyes, so it’s critical to be able to do these exercises for seniors with walkers both with your eyes open and closed.
Toe Stand
Strong lower and upper legs are important for balance, which is why we’ve included this in our list of exercises for seniors with walkers. You can end up relying so much on your walker that your standing muscles deteriorate and lead to worsening balance issues. The toe stand exercise is simple, but effective.
Step 1: Hold onto a solid surface like a table, counter, or the back of a non-rolling chair with both hands.
Step 2: Straighten your back and slightly bend both knees.
Step 3: Push up onto your tiptoes as high as you can.
Step 4: Slowly lower your heels back onto the floor.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 10 to 15 times twice a day.
Knee Curl
Your buttocks and lower back muscles must also stay strong to help you keep your balance when you’re standing.
Step 1: Hold onto a solid surface like a table, counter, or the back of a non-rolling chair with both hands.
Step 2: Straighten your back, spread your feet shoulder-width apart, and slightly bend your knees.
Step 3: Lift your right leg straight back behind you, then bend your knee, bringing your heel toward your buttock.
Step 4: Slowly return your right foot back to the ground.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 10 to 15 times for each leg, twice a day.
Leg Extension
The leg extension is one of the best exercises for seniors with walkers because it not only helps you keep your balance by strengthening your thigh muscles, but it can also decrease knee pain.
Step 1: Sit in a non-rolling chair that has a straight back.
Step 2: Straighten your right leg out in front of you as much as you can.
Step 3: Slowly lower your right leg back down to the floor.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 10 to 15 times for each leg, twice a day.
Knee Bends/Squats
This exercise will help strengthen your hamstrings and quadriceps, both of which are necessary for keeping your legs stable when you stand.
Step 1: Hold onto a solid surface like a table, counter, or the back of a non-rolling chair with both hands.
Step 2: Straighten your back and slightly bend both knees.
Step 3: Squat down slightly and hold for 10 seconds. Do not bend your knees too much.
Step 4: Slowly stand up straight again.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 10 to 15 times, twice a day.
Knee Raises
Your core is a vital component of your body for balance. If you have a strong core, your balance will be better than if you only have strong legs. Knee raises are one of the best exercises for seniors with walkers for strengthening your core.
Step 1: Hold onto a solid surface like a table, counter, or the back of a non-rolling chair with both hands.
Step 2: Straighten your back.
Step 3: Without leaning toward the chair, lift your right knee upwards toward your stomach.
Step 4: Slowly lower your right foot back to the floor.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 10-15 times for each leg, twice a day.
Side Leg Raises
Another exercise that will strengthen your core and your thighs is the side leg raise.
Step 1: Hold onto a solid surface like a table, counter, or the back of a non-rolling chair with both hands.
Step 2: Straighten your back.
Step 3. Without leaning, lift your right leg out to the side.
Step 4: Slowly lower your right foot back to the floor.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 for 10-15 minutes for each leg, twice a day.
Grapevine
An excellent all-around exercise, the grapevine strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, and core.
Step 1: Hold onto a solid surface like a table, counter, or the back of a non-rolling chair with both hands.
Step 2: Straighten your back.
Step 3: Cross your right foot in front of your left foot and repeat for a few steps.
Step 4: Slowly return your right foot back to the floor next to your left foot.
Step 5: Cross your left foot in front of your right foot and repeat for a few steps.
Step 6: Slowly return your left foot back to the floor next to your right foot.
Step 7: Repeat steps 1-6 10-15 times, twice a day.
Sideways Walk
Most of the previous exercises for seniors with walkers focused on balance, but you need to keep yourself mobile as much as possible as well. The next few exercises will help you remain ambulatory even when you’re using a walker.
Step 1: Hold onto a solid surface like a table, counter, or the back of a non-rolling chair with both hands.
Step 2: Straighten your back.
Step 3: Sidestep to your right, moving your hands along the back of the chair or the surface of the table as you move.
Step 4: Sidestep back to the center.
Step 5: Sidestep to your left, moving your hands along the back of the chair or the surface of the table as you move.
Step 6. Sidestep back to the center.
Step 7: Repeat steps 1-6, alternating directions 10-15 times, twice a day
Backwards Walk
Step 1: Stand beside a solid surface like a table, counter, or back of a non-rolling chair and hold on with your left hand for support.
Step 2: Turn to the side and straighten your back.
Step 3: Walk backward a couple of steps, moving your hands along the back of the chair or the surface of the table as you move.
Step 4: Walk forward back to your starting position.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 10-15 times, twice a day.
Heel-to-Toe Walk
Step 1: Stand beside a solid surface like a table, counter, or back of a non-rolling chair and hold on with your left hand for support.
Step 2: Turn to your side and straighten your back.
Step 3: Place your right foot in front of your left so that your toes on your left foot touch the heel of your right foot.
Step 4: Move your left foot in front of your right so that your toes on your right foot touch the heel of your left foot.
Step 5: Repeat this action and move your hands along the back of the chair or the surface of the table as you move forward.
Step 6: After you move to the edge of the chair or table, you can turn around slowly and repeat steps 1-5 back to the other side or you can reverse your actions in a backward movement.
Step 7: Repeat steps 1-6 10-15 times, twice a day.
Heel Walking
Step 1: Stand beside a solid surface like a table, counter, or back of a non-rolling chair and hold on with your left hand for support.
Step 2: Straighten your back.
Step 3: Raise your toes of both feet off the floor so that only your heels are making contact with the floor.
Step 4: Walk forward several steps on your heels, never allowing your toes to touch the floor. Move your hands along the back of the chair or the surface of the table as you move forward.
Step 5: Turn around slowly and repeat steps 1-4 to the other side. Remember to hold onto the back of the chair or the table with your right hand when you return.
Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 10-15 times, twice a day.
Marching in Place
A surprising exercise that can help you improve your balance and keep you mobile is to simply march in place. Walking in place burns calories, prevents your joints from getting stiff, and trains your body to keep its balance as you walk. Your muscles stay engaged and you’re able to march at your pace, which is nice because you don’t have to worry about keeping up with anyone as you may if you go walking with friends. In fact, you get most of the same benefits marching in place as you do actually going for a walk. The only difference is that you won’t have to deal with hills, either going up or down.
Maintain Balance, Strength, and Flexibility Through Exercise
Exercise becomes more important as we age because our balance, strength, and flexibility decline, increasing our risk of falls and broken bones. The exercises listed here are among the best exercises for seniors with walkers to make sure you don’t lose these critical skills even if you’re dependent upon a walker. Fortunately, they aren’t difficult to do and take a minimal amount of time to complete, giving you a simple way to maintain your health as you advance in age.
Sources:
- Understanding the relationship between walking aids and falls in older adults: a prospective cohort study, NCBI https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25594520/
- Coordinated Care Plan to Prevent Older Adult Falls, Center for Disease Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/Steadi-Coordinated-Care-Plan.pdf
- 47,000 Older Adults Treated in Emergency Departments Annually for Fall Injuries Related to Walkers and Canes, Center for Disease Control, https://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2009/r090629.htm
- Walking – the benefits for older people, Better Health Channel, https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/Walking-the-benefits-for-older-people
- Fall Prevention: Balance and Strength Exercises for Older Adults, Johns Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fall-prevention-exercises
- Effects of a 12-week marching in place and chair rise daily exercise intervention on ADL and functional mobility in frail older adults, NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5909000/
- Exercises to help prevent falls, MedlinePlus, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000493.htm
- How Do Our Eyes Impact Our Sense of Balance?, Neuro Visual Center of New York, https://www.nvcofny.com/blog/how-do-our-eyes-impact-our-sense-of-balance/
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Previously Published on My Caring Plan
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