GETTING DAD TO EXCERCISE

By Dr. Marion Somers, Ph. D., Ask Dr. Marion

QUESTION: My father was an alcoholic for many years while I was growing up, and ten years ago he gave up drinking during which time we have reconciled, and during which time his health has begun to fail. The rest of my family has effectively disowned him; they refuse to communicate with him at all. Therefore, his care is now solely my responsibility. His physician suggested some daily exercise, just as you recommended, but he completely refuses and instead sits inside his home all day, everyday. What can I do to get him to move around, to exercise a bit? I care a great deal for him, but he won't listen to me, and I fear his health will gradually decline to state where even small amounts of exercise won't help him. How do I help him avoid this? Thanks, Mark in Michigan

ANSWER: Dear Mark,

Find out from your father's primary doctor what level of exercise he is capable of doing. For most of us exercise is a chore, so we have to make it fun in some way. There are TV programs dedicated to exercise, from heavy aerobics to gentle tai chi and yoga. There are also cassettes and DVDs that are geared for an older population. Start there and see how it goes.

Exercise is usually a part of a senior center's program. Doing exercise with others makes it a social outing as well. If your father is capable, exercise can come in the way of outdoor sports, walking, bowling, even breathing exercises and meditation ? really anything that will get him to move and feel alive. It can also be fun for your father to revisit an activity he once found pleasurable, so probe a little. We only have one life to live, and your father has the right to walk his own path of discovery.