Health-and-Fitness online information.

The cost of physical frailty in seniors is high not only due to medical care, but also in the loss of quality of life. As life expectancy of Americans continues to increase, so does the possibility of living longer with major physical limitations. More people over the age of 70 are experiencing difficulty performing everyday functions, such as dressing and bathing. However, according to Robert E. Rikli, Ph.D. and C. Jessie Jones, Ph.D., the authors of the Senior Fitness Test Manual, much of the usual age-related decline in physical ability is preventable and possibly reversible through proper attention to fitness levels and physical activity. Most important is the early detection of physical weaknesses and appropriate changes in physical activity habits.

The Senior Fitness Test Manual (Human Kinetics; $29.00), contains easy-to-use tests to assess the fitness levels of older adults. Its purpose is to identify and treat emerging weaknesses before a senior becomes too weak to pick up a bag of groceries, climb stairs or worse, get out of bed in the morning. The book contains complete information on administering and scoring the tests, providing feedback to test participants and organizing/testing groups of older adults. The book also provides sample forms, tables and charts presented in copy-ready form to be used in your programs.

Companion resources, the Senior Fitness Test Video ($30.00), demonstrate procedures used to administer the test to both individuals as well as groups and the Senior Fitness Test Software ($63.95), helps track scores over a period of time, compares the scores to norms and prints useful reports.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:48 AM