Motivating the well elderly to exercise

Most older adults hope to remain independent until death, but their inactivity, poor nutrition, and disabling diseases contribute to the loss of functions that are necessary for independence. Although exercise has been shown to improve a person's functioning and decrease health care costs, two thirds of persons over age 65 do not exercise regularly. The purpose of this article is to describe intervention strategies and evaluate their usefulness in motivating adherence to an exercise program designed specifically for well-elderly community dwellers. Attendance records were reviewed and informal discussions were held to determine the usefulness of the selected intervention strategies. Fifty-seven percent of the group's members attended at least one half of the 52 sessions indicating that our strategies were effective. Information about the exercise strategies that we used can help community health providers to promote health by designing exercise programs that will entice the elderly to attend on a regular basis.