The Best Therapy? A Clean House

 Seniors who keep a clean and orderly home tend to feel emotionally and physically better after tackling house chores. The reason for this attitude appears to be the exercise it takes to get the job done, according to new findings by a Case Western Reserve University school of nursing researcher.

“House cleaning kept them up and moving,” said Kathy D. Wright, PhD, RN, CNS, a school of nursing researcher. “A clean environment is therapeutic."

Wright and a research team set out to test a theory called House's Conceptual Framework for Understanding Social Inequalities in Health and Aging. It's considered a blueprint for understanding how factors such as income, education, environment and health behaviors, like smoking and exercise, influence an older person's health.

The study's 337 participants, from 65 to 94 years old, had to have at least one chronic illness, be enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, have physical restrictions that prevented them from doing at least one basic daily task, such as bathing and dressing, and be unable to manage such responsibilities as taking medicines, handling finances or accessing transportation.

Wright said she was surprised to learn that housework and maintaining their property affected the participants’ physical and mental well-being more than such factors as neighborhood or income.

One way to support your mother’s interest in staying in her home might be to encourage her to seek out additional assistance. For example, a CAREGiver^SM from your local Home Instead Senior^® Care office could provide help in a variety of areas such as light housekeeping as well as meal preparation, shopping and errands.

An extra set of hands could be just the ticket to keep your mother fit and her house sparkling clean!

For more about the study, visit http://blog.case.edu/think/2015/04/16/housework_keeps_older_adults_more_physically_and_emotionally_fit_according_to_new_study_by_case_western_reserve_nursing_school_researcher.

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated.