Why is activity such an important factor in caring for elderly patients?
Caring for elderly patients can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is a demonstration of concern for the person involved, but on the other, the paramount feeling when a patient cannot no longer do the things for themselves that they used to do is uselessness, which leads to sadness, laziness and self-loathing. Patients may eat more and start to gain weight, and actually decline in health. If that is the case, then there is no better time for these individuals to get off that couch and start moving.
