Falling off a “cliff” of high “Functional Ability” really applies to everyone. Some people go through life with a high amount of physical “functional ability.” “Functional ability” is the ability to do the things that someone needs to do in terms of physical activity through the day. At the lowest level of “functional ability” are the Activities of Daily Living or ADL’s that include such things as self-care, bathing, feeding, toilet use, driving, dressing oneself, that sort of thing. At a high level of Functional Ability this will include recreational and sports activities, hiking, biking, running, tennis, golf, essentially the activities that maximally engage our physicality.
As people age their “functional ability” can decrease and become less and less as they get older. At some point for many, ADL’s become a challenge and caretaker or nursing home assistance become a necessity. It is not inevitable and this does not have to be the case. People that maintain a high level of physical activity throughout their life will be able to perform at a high level of physical ability throughout their life. That is the philosophy behind “use it or lose it” and is the reality of aging with a high level of physical ability as opposed to losing physical ability.
Our goal in the Well Effect℠ program is to teach you how to maintain a high level of ability. We use the phrase “don’t roll down the hill” to mean don’t let yourself get into the slow decline of ability by doing a little bit less each year. Let us help you push back and improve your physical ability and maintain function and you will find that you will not be losing ground and rolling down the hill of less and less ability. Our goal is to have you get into your 80s and 90s with great ability and then “fall off the cliff.” Ensuring that along the journey you will have an enriched physical and mental quality of life.
Be Well,
John Jamesapollos