“Are Your Clients Having Fun?” The Implications of Respondents’ Preferences for the Delivery of Group Exercise Programs for Falls Prevention

Abstract

This study indicates the importance of interpersonal skills, and that the opportunity for social interaction should not be overlooked as a positive feature of a group exercise program.

Acceptability of a Dyadic Tai Chi Intervention for Older People Living With Dementia and Their Informal Carers

“…One reason for this might be that they felt able to do the Tai Chi well-enough and so report that they found the experience enjoyable. This could be partially supported by previous research suggesting that participants’ enjoyment of the intervention could be critical for their sustained participation in falls prevention interventions (McPhate et al, 2016). Previous studies have also found apathy in participants with lack of insight to their dementia symptoms (Aalten et al, 2006).…”

Real World Evidence: A Quantitative and Qualitative Glance at Participant Feedback from a Free-Response Survey Investigating Experiences of a Structured Exercise Intervention for Men with Prostate Cancer

“…Furthermore, there is likely a social aspect to motivation: some patients were making friends in the class, which could arguably make attending the classes feel more attractive for some. The opportunity for social interaction within group exercise has been described previously by clinical populations as a motivator to attend [ 45 , 46 ]. Conversely, it is possible that more introverted individuals may not find the group setting attractive.…”

Exercise Instructors for Older Adult Fitness: A Review of the Literature

“…First, the literature reviewed largely focused on seniorspecific, falls-prevention programming versus mainstream fitness. Older adults rejected participation in falls-prevention programs, because their affiliation with such programs identified them as "fallers" who were at risk of decline (Katz, 2011;McPhate et al, 2016;Yardley et al, 2006). Instructors who embodied the decline narrative in their teaching created barriers for older exercisers; for example, by imposing more physical limitations on older exercisers in senior-specific programs (Kluge & Savis, 2001) than in mainstream fitness classes (Robinson, Masud, & Hawley-Hague, 2016).…”

“…This scoping review provides a first step in identifying the roles that exercise instructors play in group fitness for older adults. This literature also elucidates that these roles are vital for creating pleasurable, inclusive group exercise classes for older adults to which a high percentage of fitness participants adhere (Bray et al, 2001;Estabrooks et al, 2004;McAuley & Jacobson, 1991;McPhate et al, 2016). However, attention to how exercise instructors educate their older adult clients is minimal in the literature (Howley & Franks, 2003), despite the early-made assertion that "The exercise leader's function…is educative" (Oldridge, 1977, p. 87).…”

“…Neither discourse fully appreciates the affective and communal dimensions present in the narratives of inactive older adults. Counter-narratives-as alternatives upon which physical cultures are built and embodied by older adultspresent in extant literature include: pleasure (Phoenix & Orr, 2014), fun/enjoyment (McPhate et al, 2016;Poole, 2001), and socialization (McPhate et al, 2016;Tulle & Dorrer, 2012). These counter-narratives are embedded in Tulle and Dorrer's (2012) call for the creation of more inclusive physical cultures using a community-oriented approach.…”