Exercise in Geriatric Rehabilitation

Description

The latest practice analysis identifies over 53% of rehabilitation patients are over the age of 65 years. Many of these older adults have functional limitations due to the fact that older adults are generally less physically active than their younger counterparts or due to difficulties returning to normal function following illness or injury. Exercise is a non- pharmacological intervention that can have beneficial effects on multiple domains of function. However, the application of exercise by health care professionals is often under-dosed leading to minimal changes in this patient population. Older adults can pose unique challenges for clinicians due to their sedentary lifestyle and potential for complex medical history.

Rehabilitation professionals are experts in movement science and should play an integral role in prescription of appropriate physical activity to ensure maximal levels of success with older adults, so we need to do better for this new majority of patients. This course will provide you with a better understanding of primary aging processes that may affect an older adult's functional status. An evidence-based approach for exercise prescription will be discussed to ensure that exercise science principles are used during plan of care development.

Highlights

• Practical application of exercise prescription in older adults that you can use the next day
• Effective, evidence-based interventions to ensure positive outcomes in older adults

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the primary aging processes that can affect an older adult's functional status.
2. Integrate the exercise science principles during exercise prescription.
3. Assess motivators and barriers that may affect participation in physical activity and exercise.
4. Describe considerations in individuals with comorbidities during treatment using exercise.

Course Content