Four Tips for Helping Someone with Down Syndrome to Exercise
If your family member has Down syndrome, you might not have thought a lot about starting an exercise program with her. But exercising regularly has similar benefits for people with Down syndrome as it does for everyone else. Your family member can build muscle mass, strengthen her heart and lungs, and generally enjoy better health overall. Here are some things to consider when starting a new exercise program with a family member who has Down syndrome.
Get Medically Cleared for Exercise First
Before making any changes to your family member’s regular routine, talk to her doctor. Her doctor can help to determine what types of exercise are the best choice for her and how her health affects her ability to exercise properly. Once you’ve got her doctor’s seal of approval, you can start looking at putting together an exercise plan that is both fun and safe so that she gets the best possible results.
Focus on Safety
Safety is key for anyone who is exercising more, but it’s especially important for your family member with Down syndrome. If her joints are a little weaker due to the Down syndrome or other health issues, then it’s important to include range of motion exercises, but to do them safely so that there’s little to no strain on the joints. Lower weights and fewer repetitions may also be a good idea, especially at the beginning.
Keep Sessions Short and Fun
When it’s time to get moving, make sure that you and your family member are engaging in activities that she enjoys and that she wants to do. Exercise that’s fun is a lot easier to stick with than exercise that’s boring or difficult. It’s also a good idea to keep sessions a little on the shorter side. Moving for 20 to 30 minutes can be plenty in terms of exercise without becoming boring or being too much.
Core Exercises Are Great
If you’re working with limited time, you might want to find activities that focus on strengthening the core. Exercises that tend to strengthen abdominal muscles, the back, and the hip area help your family member to improve her balance and her posture. The core muscles are also the ones that protect and support your family member’s internal organs.
Residential habilitation can help you and your family to find Down syndrome resources that can help your family member with fitness, general health, and other concerns.
If you are considering Down syndrome resources in Beech Grove, IN, please call the caring staff at RSI Cares. Serving Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: 317-471-0750.
As a practicing Registered Nurse, Etelka was keenly aware of a void in quality patient care that could be provided in the home. She embarked upon a journey to develop a home health care agency that would exceed all expectations and become a trusted partner to physicians and patients.
A Distinguished Career From Nurse to Director of Nursing to President of Home Services Unlimited
Etelka’s distinguished career followed a logical progression to her position as President of Home Services Unlimited. She graduated as a nurse practitioner with a Bachelor of Nursing (RN) in 1972 from Meshgorya University in the Ukraine, close to where she lived with her family. She married her husband Phil in 1973 and decided in 1977 that they would relocate to the United States to be closer to family and to come to this land of opportunity. With an eagerness to continue her budding career, Etelka sat for and passed her Boards in the U.S. in 1979.
A Love and Talent for Working with the Elderly
Etelka began her nursing career in the U.S. at Colonial Crest, now part of Golden Living, where shewasthe In-service Coordinator, the Director of Training and Education and Director of Nursing, a position she occupied for several years.
With a group of partners, she co-founded Adept Corporation, which operated group homes for the mentally challenged. The business was successful and in 1996, Etelka sold her share to return to her roots, caring for the elderly.
In January of 1997, Etelka opened Home Services Unlimited as a fully licensed business to provide home health care. In her quest to learn to do better for her patients, she had already obtained a Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA) in May of 1990 from the College of St. Francis. As President of Home Services Unlimited, Inc., Etelka guides the trusted, experienced care model Home Services Unlimited uses to continue providing excellent home health care.
Giving Back to the Community of Indianapolis
Volunteering for community services is a high priority for Etelka. Her memberships include the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Executive Women in Health Care and the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care, where she is a member of the Board of Directors.
Etelka has also served on the Board of Directors with Hooverwood Home, a highly regarded geriatric facility, since 1997 and as the President for 2005-2006. Through her community work, she has received several awards and accolades, including the Nora McFarland award in 2002, from the Indiana Association of Home and Hospice Care.
Etelka was honored as a “Health Care Hero” by the Indianapolis Business Journal. The issue can be read online here:
http://mags.ibj.com/activemagazine/welcome/html/ibjhch.html.
After clicking on the link, then click on the image of the issue’s front page. After that, you can browse through the issue or click in a box near the top of your internet browser to adjust the page to 17, which is where Etelka’s article appears.
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