Recommend a tai chi DVD for a senior citizen?
August 2, 2016 4:18 PM Subscribe
Any recommendations for a tai chi DVD for an 87 year old woman?
My grandmother will be 87 this year. She has always been very active, but a couple of foot surgeries in the past year or two reduced her mobility and she has not been able to build it back very much. She has low back problems, neuropathy, and arthritis, and had her hip replaced eight years ago. She used to go for walks for exercise but now is afraid she'll get out and go too far to get herself back. She knows that when she doesn't get to move around much her joints kind of freeze up more (and worse). She'll check with her doctor before she does anything, but I'd like to find a tai chi DVD that stays gentle and easy throughout so she can see if that helps. She is in a small rural town so there really aren't any classes she can go to to try anything out. Probably best if it avoids going on about technical aspects, qi, energy, or woo in general, since she goes to a fairly conservative church and might get put off by that, and needs to be a DVD since she doesn't use the internet at all. Thanks for any help!
My grandmother will be 87 this year. She has always been very active, but a couple of foot surgeries in the past year or two reduced her mobility and she has not been able to build it back very much. She has low back problems, neuropathy, and arthritis, and had her hip replaced eight years ago. She used to go for walks for exercise but now is afraid she'll get out and go too far to get herself back. She knows that when she doesn't get to move around much her joints kind of freeze up more (and worse). She'll check with her doctor before she does anything, but I'd like to find a tai chi DVD that stays gentle and easy throughout so she can see if that helps. She is in a small rural town so there really aren't any classes she can go to to try anything out. Probably best if it avoids going on about technical aspects, qi, energy, or woo in general, since she goes to a fairly conservative church and might get put off by that, and needs to be a DVD since she doesn't use the internet at all. Thanks for any help!
Best answer: Seconding Paul Lam's Tai Chi for Arthritis. He also has a Seated Tai Chi for Arthritis DVD available (scroll down that page for a demo of the program).
In my experience with Dr Lam's materials, he keeps the "woo" to a minimum, and if it helps convince her you can point out that the Tai Chi for Arthritis program is endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation.
You could also check the Tai Chi for Health Institute's Workshop Calendar to see if there will be a training session in her area that she could attend. TCHI does workshops and trainings all over the globe, so something may be close-ish to her. You could also check any nearby Rec departments or senior centers, you might be surprised who is offering Tai Chi in your area.
posted by ralan at 5:43 AM on August 3, 2016
In my experience with Dr Lam's materials, he keeps the "woo" to a minimum, and if it helps convince her you can point out that the Tai Chi for Arthritis program is endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation.
You could also check the Tai Chi for Health Institute's Workshop Calendar to see if there will be a training session in her area that she could attend. TCHI does workshops and trainings all over the globe, so something may be close-ish to her. You could also check any nearby Rec departments or senior centers, you might be surprised who is offering Tai Chi in your area.
posted by ralan at 5:43 AM on August 3, 2016
I don't have anything to add to the Tai Chi recommendations, but if she likes walking, I wonder if a treadmill would resolve her concerns about going too far to get back.
posted by willnot at 10:13 AM on August 3, 2016
posted by willnot at 10:13 AM on August 3, 2016
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posted by restless_nomad at 5:30 PM on August 2, 2016 [4 favorites]