DUBAI: Would you offer your seat to an elderly person if there were none spare? Do you go the shops for the older members of your family? Well you should not, according to health experts in the UK, it is better if they stand.
Researchers say the well-intended offer for older people to sit down and rest or take it easy is actually doing more harm than good, the British Medical Journal reported.
Oxford professor Sir Muir Gray, clinical adviser to Public Health England said old people should try to walk for 10 minutes a day and their relatives should be encouraging them to use stairs rather than a lift or escalator.
“We need to be encouraging activity as we age — not telling people to put their feet up. Don’t get a stair lift for your aging parents, put in a second banister,” Gray explained.
“And think twice before giving up your seat on the bus or train to an older person. Standing up is great exercise for them.”
According to health experts, a lot of ill health later in life is due to inactivity and not old age – the advice is to do more physical activity, not less.
Health experts say you are doing the elderly a favor if you leave them standing
Health experts say you are doing the elderly a favor if you leave them standing
