Exercise in Geriatric Rehabilitation

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 theiryounger 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. Olderadults can pose unique challenges for clinicians due to their sedentary lifestyle and potential for complex medical history.

Rehabilitation professionals are experts in movementscience 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-basedapproach for exercise prescription will be discussed to ensure that exercise science principles are used during plan of care development.

Target Audience: Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Athletic Trainers

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