Coaching & Reminders
As a business-owner I have class participants sign a Waiver of Liability with my company when they first show up at classes, and approximately annually thereafter. There are a few questions included about their health, address, phone number and emergency contact. I began understanding the current conditions of our elders when in a short period of time a large percentage of participants returned their forms without an emergency contact. At first I thought they just didn’t get that far through the form. But no, “I don’t have one” was their response when I asked. And I’m not just talking about lower income individuals. One was a very comfortable elder living in one of the nicest Independent Living locations in Boulder.
This isn’t just about having an emergency contact. There isn’t anyone inviting them to Thanksgiving dinner, making sure they have an annual physical, taking them to lunch, checking on the condition of their walking shoe treads, or making a social call (in person nor by phone.)
If Covid taught us anything it is that social isolation is worse for elders, and is worse for their longevity than many medical diagnosis. (This is a good article from Mayo Clinic: https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/healthy-aging/a-surprising-key-to-healthy-aging-strong-social-connections/)
Yes, there are many services available. So many, that finding exactly what fits anyone’s needs can be complicated at best, time consuming at the very least. And then there is the challenge of coordinating and actually USING the services available.
Many need daily reminders to -
Drink water, add electrolytes if needed. - Many are dehydrated when they come to class and struggle with STAYING hydrated consistently. it affects many things including balance and blood pressure. - see blog on Nutrition.
Eat breakfast. - While they need protein to fuel movement and exercise and maintain muscle, many come to classes having skipped breakfast or being generally protein deprived.
Walk/ stretch/ move. - Coming to a class once/week is great AND they need to move more than that one time. The education portion of my classes includes this coaching, and providing some with a list of exercises they should be doing daily. Rarely do those lists get much attention between their weekly classes. They also have access to online classes, available at set times on Zoom and recordings available 24/7.
Take meds correctly. - Oh I have stories! One potential participant was fearful she was too unstable balance-wise to come to class as she often felt light-headed. Some weeks later she emails me with news that she discovered she was taking twice the prescribed amount of her blood pressure meds. It was a simple mistake of taking a once daily dose twice/day…and it made a huge difference! A few weeks later she was thriving in balance class.
GO to fitness/ balance/ art /yoga/ therapy…class. - Remembering to go to a once/week commitment is harder than it should be for some. An impromptu nap, late night, malaise, interesting scroll or internet dive can derail all the best intentions, and their health! Support to get reminders in their phones helps some, others need more.
Schedule AND go to medical/ physical therapy/ therapy…appointments. -
Work on your taxes/ find help to get them right. -
Fill out that form for _ _ _ _ - Often filling out a form and getting it turned in on time would mean a rebate, a resource, help of some sort. Sometime even some extra food money (for that high quality protein or electrolyte supplement.
Turn OFF your computer/ TV/ phone and go to BED. - One class participant struggles more than most. He often misses or is very late to our 1pm exercise class because he forgot to go to bed last night until he saw the sun rising. Then his day becomes sleeping time, and the cycle continues. For a few weeks he set a goal to go to bed by 10pm, so I texted him at 9 with a reminder to get ready for bed.
I don’t envision every person needing every reminder. They just need the ones that they need, a personalized approach. They need some caring contact, “Hey - how are you today?” Might need someone to make a list of the things they need to ask their Doctor/Pharmacist/Physical Therapist, and perhaps someone to go with them to the appointment and make sure the questions actually get asked. Likely need reminders to drink water, eat protein and get outside. They definitely need reminders to move more!