Taking Patients Outside Can Provide Many Benefits

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Working in home health affords us a luxury that many other settings do not have. We are able to see beautiful scenery while driving throughout our day and best of all, we CAN take our patients OUTSIDE!

We take for granted our ability to go outside in the sunshine, smell the flowers, feel the breeze, and breath in the fresh air. Many of our older patients do not go outside on a regular basis for a myriad of reasons: weakness, no help available to safely get outside, medically unstable, inability to express their wishes, or even something as simple as no one asked. 

There are so many health and mental health benefits to being outside. A few are listed below.

• Improved mood
• Source of vitamin D
• Increased awareness/alertness
• Improved sleep (circadian rhythms)
• Clean Air- indoor pollutants are significantly higher than outdoor pollutants 
• Stress reducer

Living in southern California we are so blessed with good weather throughout most of the year. As a therapist, I always try my best to suggest outside exercise with all of my patients. It is surprising how often my patients agree to go outside and even more surprising when they tell you that it has been months since they have just rested in the sun. 

Here are some examples of activities that we do outside:

• Gait training over uneven surfaces (grass, driveways)
  • you can add extra distractions such as talking or looking around at the scenery
• Seated exercises while enjoying the sunlight
• Standing exercises with a walker or table if available
• Balance training (static and dynamic)
• Practice with real life ADLs such as getting the newspaper or the mail

Try taking your patients outside and see the impact that you make not only on their strength, but on their demeanor.
              “Live in the sunshine, Swim in the sea, Drink the wild air” - Ralph Waldo Emerson