By Susan Saldibar

A lot of really important things have been put on the back burner since COVID hit. One is looking after the health of our frontline heroes who are looking out for the health of your residents. Between overtime and wearing more hats these days, staff members have been “running on empty” for months. Well-intentioned families of residents send them lots of donuts and pizzas, which are welcome “comfort foods.” But (like so many of us), staff is feeling the effects in unhealthy weight gains and less energy; all at a time when they need more of it!

5-20 Minutes Out of the Day. Why Wouldn’t Everyone Do This?

Aegis Therapies (a Senior Living Foresight partner) has a wellness program that is so simple, there is no reason (or excuse) not to follow it. Everyone can do it, from residents to staff to family members.

The program was developed by Aegis Therapies’ EnerG Division and it’s called Wellness Wednesdays, although they clearly encourage daily participation. The program covers a series of key health touchpoints, most in video instruction format. Not all involve physical activity; some involve daily journaling, others are geared towards individuals with more mobility issues. All, however, encourage people to carve out a short period of time to focus on their own health.

Aegis’ Wednesday Wellness videos range between 5-20 minutes long. Most are about 10 minutes. They were originally created for internal use by Aegis’ own team and for their colleagues. But they’ve opened them up to anyone with 10 minutes to focus on various aspects of wellness.

Here are just a few of the topics:

  • Tai Chi/Qi Gong
  • Balanced Body Fitness
  • Full Body Seated Stretching
  • Goal Setting
  • Self Massage
  • Cardio Drumming

And there are lots more of these. One of the Wellness videos introduces a 7-day Wellness Tracking Challenge, complete with a downloadable checklist to keep you accountable.

Six Cores of Wellness

In a nutshell, here are the six areas the Wellness Challenge covers:Getting plenty of rest

  • Eating more fruits and vegetables
  • Drinking plenty of fluids
  • Breathing deeply and often
  • Performing 3 exercises daily
  • Having a great attitude and showing gratitude 

Does all this seem too simple? The folks at Aegis would tell you that’s why it works so well. Anyone can start, any time.

There’s no reason not to watch these videos and try the 7-day Wellness Challenge. You can access all the Wellness Wednesday blogs here.

For more information about Aegis Therapies, please visit their website.