Why use the NOA cushion for elderly people (or those with reduced mobility)

Everywhere in the world, life expectancy is increasing. Healthy elderly people remain autonomous for a long time. However, if their health does not allow them to maintain their physical and mental capacities, they quickly become sedentary, dependent and age much more rapidly. The NOA cushion helps elderly people age more slowly, meaning staying autonomous and healthy longer.

How to age more slowly?

Physical activity has effects that oppose those of aging. 1- Practiced regularly, physical activity slows the decrease in muscle mass related to advancing age. 2- Simultaneously, regular physical activity limits the increase in fat mass and associated metabolic problems, such as glucose intolerance, which prevents diabetes. 3- Regular physical activity also preserves cardiovascular and respiratory functions. Even when started at an advanced age, it will have positive effects on health.

To age "in shape", it is therefore important not to abandon activities: – that stimulate the body's adaptive capacities, by maintaining or even improving the basic intellectual, physical and relational capital, and – that preserve from diseases (flu, cardiovascular diseases, ...), by taking early care of diseases or disorders that are likely to cause cascade disorders of other body functions (walking disorders, depressive state, nutritional status alteration, ...).

Aging Problems

Fall risks are a real problem for elderly people. Muscle loss, impaired sensory capacities, medication intake, orthostatic hypotension, ... are factors that promote falls. Prevention is the only way to reduce risks by adapting one's environment. But regularly practicing physical activity helps preserve reflexes and muscle mass. Elderly people walk with increased anterior pelvic rotation (downward) and with increased lumbar lordosis. This postural change is usually due to a combination of weak abdominal muscles, tension in hip flexor muscles and increased abdominal fat. Pressure sore risk is another problem for elderly and people with reduced mobility. A pressure sore is a wound resulting from tissue hypoxia caused by excessive and prolonged pressure over time, on a hard surface, of a bony prominence. The sacrum is typically most affected in sitting position when the person slides in their chair. Tissue crushing causes narrowing or even occlusion of skin capillaries, which can cause a wound.

It is important that the person sits on good support

If the seat is too hard, the contact area is very reduced and all the weight then rests only on this small surface, which increases pressure. If the surface is too soft, the pelvis sinks excessively into the seat, but pressure concentrates at body protrusion points (sacrum and ischium), and increases at these locations. Moreover, the pelvis is then unfortunately completely immobilized. Good support is one where the person sinks slightly but where they are supported everywhere in the same way. The contact surface is larger and the pressure, evenly distributed, is therefore much less.

Why sit on the NOA cushion?

To exercise gently The NOA cushion keeps you moving. It allows you to maintain tone naturally throughout the day. It strengthens your muscles gently thanks to barely perceptible instability. By maintaining the three curves naturally without effort, the NOA cushion stimulates your general metabolism (see photo). To reduce tissue pressure during prolonged sitting The cushion evenly distributes pressure over the entire contact surface and preserves skin tissues. To improve brain activity Thanks to the cushion, the head repositions well above the shoulders and the vessels that supply the brain are no longer compressed. It thus improves your blood circulation and therefore cell and brain oxygenation.