Activities for people with disabilities: don't stay at home!

An active lifestyle is essential for everyone, including those with disabilities. Activities for people with physical or mental disabilities are essential for integration and can have a positive influence on your mood and health, as well as helping you to adopt and develop healthy lifestyle habits.

Get ready, the list is almost as long as your expectations.

Activities to suit all tastes

Adapted sports (tennis, basketball, rugby, cycling, etc.) are undoubtedly the most popular activities for people with disabilities. Another alternative to staying indoors would be to travel: adapted travel offers are multiplying, which is why accessible tourism is also something you can take advantage of.

So, as well as the physical and emotional benefits, you can gain cultural enrichment through visits to museums and world heritage sites, or the so-called therapeutic routes. These routes are designed specifically for people with sensory disabilities, such as the visually impaired, who are seeking to compensate for this handicap by enhancing their other senses.

But beyond sport, travel and excursions, there are many other activities that are accessible to all people with disabilities, whatever their age or degree of impairment. If you do a bit of research, you'll probably find that your town offers some of these activities that are beneficial to your health, helping you to stay active. Here are a few suggestions.

Music therapy: free your senses

On a psychological level, music therapy is one of the most comprehensive activities for people with disabilities. It improves self-esteem, helps patients to let go, encourages communication and group vision, and can release emotions. On a physical level, it helps to reduce pain and develop motor functions through movement and coordination exercises. Because it affects both the physical and psychological characteristics of an individual, music therapy encompasses many approaches and activities, including dancing, singing, body expression and playing an instrument.

Wii therapy: fun for all

Video games have enormous cognitive potential, and can also be used as a rehabilitation tool. There are video consoles with boards, such as the Wii Balance Board, which help to improve joint mobility, balance, hand-eye coordination, physical stamina and reflexes.

Some games also allow a group of people with different disabilities to take part, promoting integration. Wii Therapy’ should be practised in medical and social centres, and always under the supervision of physiotherapists to ensure that you get the most out of your potential.

Gardening: therapeutic in nature

Therapeutic gardens are used as an activity for people with physical and intellectual disabilities, for therapeutic purposes and as a leisure activity. The benefits derived from creating or actively participating in the care and conservation of a garden are linked to the emotional bond that each person builds with plants and the natural environment. In this way, ‘garden therapy’ brings its share of physical, emotional and cognitive benefits that can relieve tension and stress.

Swimming pools: a healthy mind in a healthy body

Water has been used as a therapeutic tool for years, and the practice of aquatic activities is linked to improved health at all levels, which is why it is considered one of the most recognised activities for people with physical disabilities.

Aquagym, swimming, passive stretching and therapeutic hydrotherapy are just some of the activities that greatly improve participants' functional and motor capacities and physical condition.

These activities are particularly useful for the rehabilitation or treatment of pathologies of neurological origin, such as spinal injuries, head trauma, stroke, degenerative diseases of the nervous system, spinal atrophy or spina bifida.

You have every reason not to stay locked up

Activities for people with disabilities are important for a number of reasons, but we'll mention just two. Firstly, they are beneficial both physically and psychologically; secondly, many of them can be enjoyed in groups, with or without people with disabilities, providing a basis for social interaction, enabling you to meet new people and move both physically and socially outside your usual environment.

You should also bear in mind that physical and leisure activities can help you burn calories and maintain your motor tone. So any activity, even low-intensity, is positive and helps to speed up your metabolism.

Other health benefits you may notice if you lead an active lifestyle are improvements in your blood circulation and your ability to fall asleep. On a psychological level, activity will improve your ability to concentrate and reduce stress.

Do you think you're not up to these activities? Are you afraid they won't be suited to your needs? Don't know which one to choose? Don't worry: practically all activities are suitable, you just need to know how and where to do them.

In the case of activities for disabled people organised by foundations, associations, medical-social centres, councils and public and private institutions, you will benefit from all the guarantees, and they will advise you personally on the spot.

Enjoying an active and independent life also means having quality equipment that meets your needs perfectly. We offer a wide range of manual and electric wheelchairs that will make all the difference to your daily independence. If you'd like to find out more about our mobility solutions, sign up for our newsletter and stay informed.