Exercise and Wellness for Older Adults: Practical Programming Strategies / Edition 2

by Kay A. Van Norman

Overview

Exercise and Wellness for Older Adults, Second Edition, is an introduction to aging and wellness and an essential guide to creating exercise and wellness programs for older adults, regardless of age or physical challenge. Readers will find the latest information on strength and power training and learn how to apply it to improve the functional abilities of older adults. The text provides a framework to help readers make the critical shift from expectations of decline to an age-neutral focus on maximizing functional ability.

The text, formerly titled Exercise Programming for Older Adults, has been thoroughly updated to reflect the broad-based focus encompassing all aspects of wellness rather than just fitness. The author introduces the whole-person wellness concept, which fully engages individuals and helps them succeed in their pursuit of lifelong health and well-being. Specific strategies and exercises are presented to help professionals integrate the six dimensions of wellness (physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and vocational) into their programs. This edition includes a new chapter on identifying and overcoming the unseen or overlooked psychosocial barriers to participation in wellness programs and engaging adults in healthy habits. It also offers new information on program development, including techniques for creating and promoting programs in both senior living and community-based environments.

Like the first edition, Exercise and Wellness for Older Adults continues to provide a collection of easy-to-follow exercises for both water- and land-based programming. The book also offers guidelines on addressing programming for adults with functional limitations and special conditions. Both students and professionals can learn and improve programming efforts using the following features:

• 120 land-based programming options including chair, chair-assisted, low-impact aerobic, and resistance-training exercises

• 72 water-based programming options including range of motion, flotation and aerobic exercises, and exercises for clients with arthritis, all fully illustrated with underwater photos

• Case studies and testimonials that illustrate the potential results from participation in wellness and exercise programs

• A progression of exercises for both land- and water-based programs that allow greater flexibility to meet individual needs

• Wellness wrap-ups at the end of each chapter that emphasize the psychosocial aspects that can enhance and promote exercises and overall wellness

• Project MOVE, an approach that uses psychosocial research to motivate older adults to engage in wellness offerings

Exercise and Wellness for Older Adults gives readers the knowledge and tools to change their mind-set and approach to programming, helping their clients improve their overall fitness, health, and vitality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780736057684
Publisher:	Human Kinetics Publishers
Publication date:	04/07/2010
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kay Van Norman is currently president of Brilliant Aging, a consulting firm specializing in exercise and wellness program design for older adults, development, and staff training. She taught in the department of health and human development at Montana State University for 18 years. For nine of those years she was also program director for Young at Heart, a university-based nonprofit exercise program for older adults. She went on to serve as director of the Keiser Institute on Aging, an international effort to bridge the gap between research and practice in the fields of gerontology, senior housing, fitness, and wellness.

Van Norman received the Rosabel Koss Honor Award from the American Association for Active Lifestyles and Fitness in 1998 for her service to the profession of older adult fitness. In 2003 she was given the National Council on Aging (NCOA) Health Promotion Institute’s Best Practices Award. She has served on numerous national boards and on the national committee for developing standards for training of senior fitness instructors. She is currently a board member of the International Council on Active Aging, NCOA’s Health Promotion Institute, and the American Senior Fitness Association.

Van Norman earned her master’s degree in physical education from Montana State University in 1981. She is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences on aging and health.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Aging and Wellness

Aging World Populations

Profile of Older Americans

Attitudes Toward Aging

Challenging Barriers and Changing Needs

Adult Wellness: The Big Picture

Wellness Wrap-Up

Chapter 2. Exercise Science and Changes in Functional Ability

Exercise Physiology and Aging Systems

Physical Conditions Requiring Special Consideration

Wellness Wrap-Up

Chapter 3. Psychosocial Aspects of Programming

Understanding Psychosocial Concepts

Identifying Psychosocial Barriers

Applying Psychosocial Concepts

A New Model

Wellness Wrap-Up

Chapter 4. Programming Guidelines

Program Components

Safety

Providing a Well-Rounded Exercise Program

Components of a Fitness Class

Wellness Wrap-Up

Chapter 5. Land-Based Programming

Chair Exercise

Standing Exercise

Low-Impact Aerobic Exercise

Resistance Training Exercise

Wellness Wrap-Up

Chapter 6. Water-Based Programming

Special Considerations for Water-Exercise Classes

General Format

Arthritis Water Exercise

Wellness Wrap-Up

Chapter 7. Developing and Promoting Your Program

Working in Community-Based Environments

Promoting Your Exercise Program

Working in Senior-Living Environments

Meeting Senior-Living Challenges and Opportunities

Crafting a Culture of Wellness

Wellness Wrap-Up

Interviews

A textbook for introductory courses in fitness, exercise, or programming for older adults. A reference for exercise instructors and recreation and activity leaders working with adults, wellness and exercise program directors in community-based and senior living environments, and fitness instructors pursuing certification specializations.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: David O. Staats, MD (University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center)
Description: This second edition of a book on programming exercise activities for older persons updates the first edition of 1995.
Purpose: The purpose is to describe exercise programs based on the function of older persons and to serve as a guide for those planning and implementing exercise programs for older persons.
Audience: The audience includes community administrators who prepare and run exercise programs for older adults and therapists who supervise these programs. Designers of such facilities will find many useful points here as well. The author is an expert in the field and this book builds on the previous edition,
Features: A chapter on aging and wellness is followed by exercise's impact on functional ability. Then comes a wonderful chapter on psychosocial aspects of exercise programming — how to entice older persons to participate and what strategies motivate them to stick with an exercise program. Subsequent chapters cover programming guidelines, land-based programs, water-based programs, with a final chapter on developing and promoting your program. Throughout, the book is richly illustrated both with photographs and specimens of ads and informational material. The references are pertinent.
Assessment: What a pleasure it is to have this book on hand. This is not a treatise on exercise physiology, but rather a practical and inviting guide to promote exercise and wellness in older persons. The careful organization and the pictorial demonstrations of useful exercises make this a worthwhile contribution to the field. City planners, program managers, and designers will gain much from this useful book as will recreation therapists.

Doody's Review Service

Reviewer: David O. Staats, MD(University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center)
Description: This second edition of a book on programming exercise activities for older persons updates the first edition of 1995.
Purpose: The purpose is to describe exercise programs based on the function of older persons and to serve as a guide for those planning and implementing exercise programs for older persons.
Audience: The audience includes community administrators who prepare and run exercise programs for older adults and therapists who supervise these programs. Designers of such facilities will find many useful points here as well. The author is an expert in the field and this book builds on the previous edition,
Features: A chapter on aging and wellness is followed by exercise's impact on functional ability. Then comes a wonderful chapter on psychosocial aspects of exercise programming — how to entice older persons to participate and what strategies motivate them to stick with an exercise program. Subsequent chapters cover programming guidelines, land-based programs, water-based programs, with a final chapter on developing and promoting your program. Throughout, the book is richly illustrated both with photographs and specimens of ads and informational material. The references are pertinent.
Assessment: What a pleasure it is to have this book on hand. This is not a treatise on exercise physiology, but rather a practical and inviting guide to promote exercise and wellness in older persons. The careful organization and the pictorial demonstrations of useful exercises make this a worthwhile contribution to the field. City planners, program managers, and designers will gain much from this useful book as will recreation therapists.