Exercise for Independent Living (Over 60s)

If we were to ask you what physical goals you would have for the future, most would say “to remain mobile and independent for as long as possible”. However there are many things that can prevent this from being the case, such as other medical conditions, living arrangements or just life in general! Nevertheless, there is always a way to transform our future using physical activity. 

The Target Physio, the Exercise for Independent Living Program is targeted at people over 60 who want to maintain their lifestyle for as long as possible. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll be running marathons in your 90’s (but we can definitely help you try!), we can help provide you with an exercise interventions that keeps you able to do things like hang the washing, lift the dog up for a cuddle, get up and down off the ground or have you feeling less puffy when you walk up a set of stairs. 

The Exercise for Independent Living Program is divided into 3 stages: 

Stage 1 – Assessment and Treatment Development Stage

• Thorough assessment of your current condition and identifying any areas of concern to focus on. 
• Provision of an individualised home exercise program to compliment the in-clinic training. 

Stage 2 – Supervised Exercise Treatment Stage

• Either jumping into an 8-week block of our Small Group Classes OR 
• One-on-one supervised session, weekly for 8 weeks (in-clinic or online).  
• Emphasis on Aerobic fitness, Strength and Flexibility, as well as Balance and Falls Prevention. 

Stage 3 – Long Term Followup

• Regular (3-monthly) re-assessment and review of home exercise program. 
• Option to continue in small group classes.
• Linking with other community fitness providers for sustainable training. 

To stay strong on your feet and able to do the things you love, book your assessment consultation with our Exercise Physiologist here.

If you would like to read more about the beautiful Ageing Body, read our blog about it here.

• Sherrington, C, et al. 2020: Evidence on Physical Activity and Falls Prevention for People Aged 65+: Years Systematic Review to Inform the WHO guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour.
• Taing D, et al., 2017: Better Strength, Better Balance! Partnering to deliver a fall prevention program for older adults. 
• Gianoudis J, Bailey CA, Daly RM. Associations between sedentary behaviour and body composition, muscle function and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. Osteoporos Int. 2015 Feb;26(2):571-9. doi: 10.1007/s00198-014-2895-y. Epub 2014 Sep 23. PMID: 25245026.
• Bricca A, Harris LK, Jäger M, Smith SM, Juhl CB, Skou ST. Benefits and harms of exercise therapy in people with multimorbidity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Ageing Res Rev. 2020 Nov;63:101166. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101166. Epub 2020 Sep 5. Erratum in: Ageing Res Rev. 2020 Dec;64:101190. PMID: 32896665; PMCID: PMC7116122.