Choosing a Comfy ArmchairAgeing bodies change shape and our favourite seats may not be suitable anymore. Believe it or not, having the right armchair may make the difference between staying independent or not! If you find it hard to get out of a chair once in it, you're less inclined to get out of it, until you have to. Getting in and out of chairs helps keep our legs strong, assists us to keep our sense of balance and encourages exercise, which is good for most of our bodily functions.  When choosing an armchair consider these things: a) Height: For comfort and ease of getting out of the chair: • allow a 90° angle at the hip, between the thigh and body • feet need to rest comfortably on the floor • have enough heel space under the chair for standing. b) Width: There needs to be a space of 2-3 fingers either side of the body to allow wriggle room and to keep the armrests are comfortable. c) Depth: The depth needs to ensure a good upright posture and for ease of getting out of the chair: • user’s bottom needs to be at the back of the chair while feet still on the ground • seat edge needs to slope down slightly • space between chair and back of the knees needs to be a 2-3 fingers space to avoid pressure behind the legs  d) Back rest: Needs to:
• support the lower spine, neck and head • be wide enough to support shoulders • lean back only slightly e) Arm rests: Need to: • support the forearms and hands without raising the shoulders • allow a 90°angle at the elbow, between the forearm and upper arm • be firm enough to help with standing f) The chair surface needs to: • be comfortably firm, for ease of getting out • easily cleaned • a fabric that won’t cause sweating It’s important to have the main user sit in the chairs for some time and get out of it a number of times before deciding which to purchase. If you need any advice on purchasing a suitable chair our friendly physios and occupational therapists can help, contact us as follows: Ph: 03 377 5280 Email: [email protected] Website: www.therapyprofessionals.co.nz Some Exercises for Strength and Balance If you want to reduce your risk of falling it’s important to increase your leg strength and balance. Below are some exercises, which if done regularly, will improve your leg strength and balance and reduce your risk of falls. The following are exercises for the lower part of the body – to improve your coordination, balance, mobility and strength. You will be working your buttocks, abdominals, thighs, knees, ankles and feet. Sit to Stand To work buttocks, abdominals, thighs, knees, ankles and feet. Repeat 10 times in succession. Use as little hand support as possible  Sit foot Raise To work thighs. A weight around the ankle increases muscle work. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat up to 20 times in succession.  Knee Bends To work buttocks and thighs. Hold table at first then progress to no hand support. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times in succession.  Stand on toes To work calf muscles and ankle joints. Hold table at first then progress to no hand support. Then walk on toes - forward and backwards. Hold 3 seconds. Repeat 10 times.  Stand on heels To work shin muscles and ankle joints Hold table at first then progress to no hand support. Then walk on heels – forward and backwards Hold 2 - 3 seconds. Repeat 10 times.  Heel toe stand and walk To increase balance. Place one foot in front of other heel to toe. Hold table or wall at first then progress to no hand support. Then walk in a straight line – heel to toe for 10 steps. Walk:
Walk Walk Walk!! Acknowledgement:
NZ Falls Prevention Research team, University of Otago Medical School Why are people in their 30s and 40s experiencing increased memory problems? Could our reliance on technology and the sheer amount of information we absorb everyday be making us more forgetful? According to a recent article in The Boston Globe, people in their 30s and 40s are reporting an unprecedented wave of memory problems. Professor Cliff Abraham, who teaches psychology at the University of Otago and is the co-lead of the Aotearoa Brain Project, told Sunday Morning it comes as no surprise. "If we think about how memories were formed in the first place and the things that interfere with good memory or good learning and memory retention in terms of, well, a whole variety of issues, including distractions, it would not be surprising to find that people are more sensitive to day-to-day memory issues than they were before." While the cause has not been pinpointed, and Abraham said there is a lot more information and distractions coming in than ever before. The brain can store a lot of information, but it is a question of how much is coming in all at once or at one point in time, he added. "When you're trying to process a lot of information, more or less simultaneously, it will interfere with how you can kind of get into those networks that are storing the information you're trying to and making it hard to retrieve." Abraham said we tend to think of memory as being some kind of magical automatic process that we don't have to kind of work with, but in fact, it does take some cognitive effort to really store information well. Memories are best stored and retained, what we call consolidated, by several principles. One is paying attention to the information, another one is repeating that information in different ways and processing that information.
"And if you don't spend the time to do that, then you won't remember the name of the person you've just been introduced to, you won't remember where you've parked your car, and so forth." There are other factors too, such as mental health issues - anxiety, depression - drug use, stress, and even being "hyper busy", Abraham said, have significant impacts on brain function. In regards to an increase in the use of technology, Abraham said periods of not actively using your brain - like watching TV - is "probably not good". "The brain likes to be used, and lots of helpful neurochemicals are released. If you're just interacting with your TV screen that doesn't produce the same effects." Listen to the full interview here Reference: RNZ https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/532020/why-are-people-in-their-30s-and-40s-experiencing-increased-memory-problems |
AuthorShonagh O'Hagan Archives
December 2025
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