Breathing Exercises

Is your Elder breathing correctly? Here is a three-step process which will relax, alkalize, and help them maximize their oxygen levels.

1. Have the elder lie on their back on a firm bed, or the floor if possible. Bend the knees, placing feet flat, at a comfortable distance from buttocks. Rest their hands on their stomach, just below the ribs.
2. Coach them to breathe in slowly through their nose, filling the lungs. The lower part of their stomach should rise first. If the chest rises first, they are not breathing correctly and are not using their diaphragm. This is shallow, ineffective breathing.
3. Have them exhale slowly through their mouth, emptying their lungs - notice the abdomen flattening. Encourage breathing out for a longer count than they breathed in, completely emptying the lungs.

Lack of oxygen is a common problem with the elderly. This exercise, repeated often, can help. You should do it too!