With the aim of helping the elderly to improve your physical and emotional well-being, and contribute to their adaptation to new normal, the Age & Life Foundation has launched a Bell in which it offers guidelines aimed at this group.
Within the framework of this campaign, a decalogue of recommendations (can be downloaded via the web Decalogue Recommendations) that will be delivered to 31 residential centers from all over Spain to support more than 4,200 older people in the transition to new normal, provide guidelines to professionals and caregivers who care for them, as well as family members:
- Follow correct hygiene measures
- Don’t isolate yourself and take advantage of technology
- Be positive
- Use humor
- Keep busy
- Establish new routines
- Take advantage of the good weather to expose yourself to the sun with caution
- Do physical exercise
- Maintain healthy eating habits
- Don’t forget to hydrate throughout the day
The objective of this campaign is framed in the basic principles of this entity to help the older population maintain a adequate wellness. On this occasion, special attention has been paid to the fact that in recent months the group of older people has been the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, not only because of the higher risk of suffering serious symptoms, but also because of the emotional problems that the lockdown, the de-escalation and the uncertainty in the current situation of new normal have entailed.
The recommendations of the decalogue produced by Age & Life refer to the importance of correct hygiene measures and maintenance of the distance interpersonal security, but also the need to have a few Healthy habits and a active lifestyle, which will result in a greater well-being.
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Healthy eating, adequate hydration and emotional well-being
In this sense, the Age & Life Foundation highlights that to maintain greater physical well-being it is necessary to follow healthy eating habits, pointing to the Mediterranean diet as an example of a varied, moderate and balanced diet and giving prominence, not only to what is eaten, but also how, when, where and in what way these meals are made. Furthermore, taking into account that this campaign starts in the summer season, with a notable increase in temperatures, among the recommendations the need to maintain a adequate hydration, something especially important in the elderly, since as they age, the feeling of thirst decreases.
Thus, it is recalled that male population should ingest 2.5 liters of water daily, an amount that for women stands at 2 liters, of which approximately 20% should come from food and 80% from water and other beverages. In addition to water, other beverages such as functional drinks, infusions, broths, juices and nectars, dairy drinks or any other drink that provides water can also contribute to daily hydration, being recommended that all of them be low in calories or without sugars.
Within the framework of the campaign, more than 19,000 liters of Aquarius and Aquarius Zero Azúcar (in their Original and Orange versions) and Nestea al Limón and Nestea al Limón without sugars will be distributed in the residences. On the other hand, the need for physical exercise is recalled, adapting the rhythm of this activity to the physical form of each person, as well as the need to hydrate before, during and after physical exercise.
Special emphasis is also placed on having a good emotional health, using humor to reduce stressful moments experienced in these uncertain times, or the importance of keeping busy and establish routines throughout the day, as well as taking advantage of technology to maintain greater contact with the environment.
These daily routines, in addition to the meetings with friends and loved ones -as stated by the Age & Vida Foundation-, include the practice of physical exercise and outdoor activities. In this way, it contributes to maintaining emotional stability and recovering, on the one hand, the functional level after having spent so much time indoors and with restricted movements, and, on the other, it improves mood and the overall feeling of well-being.
The Decalogue also reminds us that exposure to the sun at the right hours, always taking the proper precautions, helps to improve levels of vitamin D, necessary for the absorption of calcium and to maintain good bone health. Likewise, it is indicated that in the case of older people who have been exposed to the coronavirus, have a vulnerable state of health or previous pathologies that could be increased by the virus, they should be more careful and prudent in the adoption of protection and prevention measures.
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