May 19, 2021 - Reader's Digest

Reader's Digest Canada - Here’s Why You Need to Go For a Walk Every Single Day

By: Christina Frangou

Hospitals have also begun to embrace the value of walking. At Mount Sinai in Toronto, older patients weren’t always encouraged to get up from bed because of the risk of falling. About ten years ago, that changed. Assisted by doctors, nurses and volunteers, patients are now prompted to walk to the bathroom, explore the hallways and get out of bed to eat their meals.

Since that change, fewer patients require catheters and suffer pressure ulcers. On average, they spend less time in the hospital. “Every day that an older person is in bed, they lose five per cent of their physical functioning,” says Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA. "So getting them up and walking can reduce the chance that grandma might not be able to return home.”