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Symposium

Health Sciences

Celebrating 30 Years of Enhance Fitness: Reaching New Populations of Older Adults With Evidence-Based Exercise

Thursday, November 14, 2024
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
Location: Room 205
CE: 1.5

EnhanceFitness® (EF) is an evidence-based, group exercise program for older adults involving strength, aerobic, and balance training that is recommended for arthritis management and falls prevention. Classes are held for 1 hour, 3 days a week and are led by exercise instructors trained in the EF protocol, which accommodates people with different levels of physical capacity. In the past 30 years, more than 150,000 older adults have participated in EF at >800 community sites in the United States. Over 75 peer-reviewed studies have evaluated EF’s effectiveness, implementation, and dissemination. In the proposed symposium, we will report new findings on efforts to expand EF’s reach. First, Paige Denison (who directs EF nationally) will present a brief overview of the program. Second, Kushang Patel will present the adaptation of EF for remote delivery (Tele-EF) and report the comparative effectiveness of Tele-EF versus in-person EF on several functional outcomes. Third, Nancy Gell will present a qualitative study on the experience of older rural cancer survivors with participation in Tele-EF. Fourth, Elise Hoffman will report the feasibility of Tele-EF in rural older adults with chronic pain and the results of co-designing a referral pathway to reach this population. Fifth, Basia Belza will present a pilot study on the feasibility of EF for people living with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. Lastly, Steven Albert (Editor of GSA’s Innovation in Aging) will deliver a critical discussion of the research findings and provide recommendations on expanding access of exercise programs to underserved, hard-to-reach populations of older adults.

Fitness, Exercise and Wellness Interest Group Sponsored Symposium

Learning Objectives:

  • After attending this session, participants will be able to understand the feasibility of remotely delivering Enhance Fitness, an evidence-based exercise program, to rural older adults.
  • After attending this session, participants will be able to identify strategies for expanding access to evidence-based exercise programs.
  • After attending this session, participants will be able to understand the effectiveness of remotely delivered Enhance Fitness in older adults.

Presentations:

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    Comparative Effectiveness of Remotely Delivered Versus In-Person Enhance Fitness Among Older Adults

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Kushang Patel, PhD, MPH, FGSA (he/him/his) – University of Washington

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    Perspectives of Older Rural Cancer Survivors on Remotely Delivered Enhance Fitness

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Nancy Gell, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers) – University of Vermont

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    Expanding Rural Access to Tele-EnhanceFitness Through Community-Engaged Design of a Referral Pathway

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Elise V. Hoffman, MPH (she/her/hers) – University of Washington

  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
    EnhanceFitness for Adults With Memory Loss and Care Partners: A Pilot

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Basia Belza, PhD RN FAAN FGSA (she/her/hers) – University of Washington