Geriatric fitness is important for maintaining physical and mental health in older populations. It helps prevent disease and injury, reduces frailty, and increases quality of life. Efforts such as international guidelines and certification programs have improved the quality of geriatric conditioning offerings. Opportunities for geriatric conditioning are available from various organizations, and brain fitness is also important for reducing the risk of dementia.
The adjective geriatric means belonging to or related to older people. The importance of geriatric fitness, then, is the importance of maintaining fitness at all stages of life. The term applies to physical and mental fitness.
The value of physical fitness and mental fitness in older populations has been recognized to have several important positive outcomes. Maintaining geriatric fitness helps preserve functionality and prevent disease and injury, as well as reduce frailty and increase quality of life. The concept of “successful aging,” as opposed to habitual or pathological aging, puts a name to the goal of geriatric fitness. There was a time when this was more difficult than it is today.
Two important factors have facilitated the maintenance of geriatric fitness. The first includes efforts such as the International Curriculum Guidelines for Preparing Instructors for Activities of Older Adults, created by a coalition of organizations in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Course on Aging and Life, and the development of the American National Standards for the Preparation of Senior Fitness Instructors. These and other efforts combined with licensing and certification programs have helped improve the quality of geriatric conditioning offerings. As a consequence, the offerings have become safer and more effective because instructors understand the complexities of working with older people and of developing and adapting exercises and activities to the general and individual needs of this population.
The second is the broader range of opportunities for geriatric conditioning that are available. Activity classes for physical and mental wellness are available from a wide range of organizations, including community organizations such as community centers and churches; fitness-focused locations such as health clubs, gyms, gyms, YMCAs, JCCs, community wellness programs, and parks and recreation departments; senior-focused organizations such as senior centers and retirement communities; and health facilities, such as long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and adult day care centers. Additionally, the certifications have been designed for personal trainers with a senior clientele, so those who are unable or unwilling or unable to join or participate in a geriatric fitness program in a public setting can have a qualified expert come to them. .
With research revealing that brain fitness reduces the risk of dementia, the importance of geriatric brain fitness becomes particularly clear. While board games and puzzles are highly recommended, simply engaging in focused mental activity isn’t the only focus. The American Senior Fitness Association, for example, provides training in a program that focuses on integrating mental fitness into a physical fitness program.
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