What's the #1 indicator for confinement in an age (not disease-related recovery) nursing home? What's THE single thing that is shared by folks in those places? Is it cardiovascular...like their blood pressure is too high? No. It's leg strength. They can't stand up and walk. Mobility is everything. So what are you going to do about it, to do everything you can to make sure that is not YOU?
Word.

My 87-year old grandmother is in a nursing home. When we brought her there only 4 months ago, she was moving around just fine with her walker. But after a couple of minor falls (only bruising, thank goodness), the medical staff decided to put an alarm on her that goes off if she tries to get out of her chair. So now she has to call the nurse any time she wants to get up.

And you know what? Now she's having a hard time getting up, standing, or walking. All because she's starting to atrophy from being told not to get up on her own.

My hiking/camping activities have gone down in the last few months due to work and family responsibilities, and I can sure tell that I'm losing strength and agility. It's going to take me weeks or even months to get back to where I was before, once I start doing it again. It's amazing how quickly the body can build strength when it's used, but it's equally amazing how quickly it can lose it when it's not!