Exercise for Aging Adults ― A Guide for Practitioners

This book translates the new findings in exercise research for the elderly for busy practitioners, trainees, students and administrators. This book provides practical strategies that can be implemented immediately in the common settings in which practitioners care for adults. The format includes key points and case examples which showcase the strong evidence supporting exercise by older adults as a key tool to enhance health, prevent serious outcomes, such as hospitalization and functional loss, and as part of the treatment plan for diseases that are common in older adults elderly with. Written by experts in the field of exercise in older persons, this book is a guide to maintaining quality of life and functional independence from frail to healthy aging adults. Strategies and exercises are discussed for specific care settings and illustrated via links to video examples, to ensure readers can immediately apply described techniques.

Exercise for Aging Adults: A Guide for Practitioners is a useful tool for physicians, residents in training, medical students, physical therapists, gerontology advance practice nurse practitioners, assisted living facility administrators, directors of recreation, and long-term care directors.

Dr. Gail Sullivan is Professor of Medicine, Associate Director for Education, and Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program Director at the UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut. She teaches geriatrics to medical and other trainees and sees patients through the UConn Health Center’s Geriatrics Associates’ practice.

Dr. Sullivan has presented at regional, national and international meetings on various geriatric medicine topics, such as Geriatric Educational Strategies; Medical Education Research; The Approach to the Older Patient; Exercise in Older Persons; and Pharmacology. Dr. Sullivan is also Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. A fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Geriatrics Society, Dr. Sullivan is listed in “Best Doctors in America,” “Best Doctors for Women” (Connecticut Magazine), and “Top Doctors in the Greater Hartford Area” (Hartford Magazine).

Dr. Alice Pomidor is a family practice geriatrician who has taught a variety of topics in geriatrics for over 25 years. Her areas of expertise cover a myriad of older adult topics, including older adult driving, physical activity, health literacy, and falls prevention. Her research interests include innovated educational tools, such as educational video games and technology to teach geriatric concepts. She is a former fellowship director and served previously as a division chief of geriatrics, as well as a medical director at multiple retirement and long-term care communities.

In addition to her work as a researcher and educator, Dr. Pomidor dedicates herself to numerous community activities and serves on the Board of the local Alzheimer's Project. She is a member of the Safe Mobility for Life Coalition in Florida and a former president of the Florida Geriatrics Society. She is also the chair of the Public Education Committee and a Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society, and offers her clinical services at the Wound Healing Center in Tallahassee.