Thank you for viewing my site and actively seeking positive solutions for your patients. You have my promise to work hard to help your patients if I’m given the opportunity.
WHO I AM AND WHAT I DO
I call myself an “older adult fitness trainer” and I help older adults (OAs) improve their fitness and functional abilities. There’s no one in the SB area more qualified: I’ve earned many national/internationally recognized certifications – several with an OA fitness specialization – and an advanced degree in exercise science; I’ve accumulated lengthy dedicated experience working exclusively with OAs; and I’ve sustained a decades-long private practice.
YOUR PATIENT REFERRALS
I would greatly appreciate and welcome your referrals if your patients meet some basic criteria*: 1) have normal cognitive abilities; 2) can ambulate without assistive devices; 3) are willing to work with me at least once per week for a minimum of 4-6 months (no contract, just an understanding); and 4) are willing & able to use email for scheduling and normal communication.
Not all your prospective referrals may be a good fit – I have extensive experience with deconditioned OAs with orthopedic issues and joint replacements, but little experience with neurologic conditions.
MY PRACTICE EMPHASIS
My practice occupies an area somewhat between physical therapy and general-population adult fitness. This emphasis is an absolute necessity for successful outcomes since my OA clients commonly present with orthopedic challenges, chronic degenerative conditions and movement impairments. Many of the skills & techniques I utilize have been learned from physical therapists, a profession I have HUGE RESPECT for. I continue to actively seek out specialized training from PTs and other experts who work primarily with OAs.
OLDER ADULT FITNESS PROGRAMING & PROCESS
I do everything I can to ensure a successful outcome with my clients and I’ve been at it long enough to know where the common stumbling blocks will likely occur. That’s why I ask for a minimum commitment of 1x/week for a least 4-6 months. An OA fitness “program or plan” is not a static document, but a constantly changing dynamic instrument requiring repeated attention to modify, regress, lateralize and progress; work-arounds are quite common and motor learning occurs at different rates & abilities. Even something as apparently simple as a walking program can be compromised if an individual lacks great toe extension or ankle dorsiflexion; or an inability to stabilize their pelvis in the frontal plane; or insufficient dynamic balance to adjust to ground irregularities and trip-worthy obstacles like uplifted sidewalk segments.
OA functional fitness always requires a fine-tuned risk/benefit analysis and, in an ideal world, should follow a very individualized approach. To adequately assess risk & benefit I need to know my clients very well, so I follow a very structured information-gathering process which includes: 1) input & advice from you, the medical professional; 2) documenting a new client’s goals/issues/concerns; 3) a thorough health, medical, injury and lifestyle history; 4) a physical/functional assessment. Synthesizing all this client information enables a starting point for plan/program development – a plan/program which, with OAs, will inevitably need to be changed, modified and gently progressed based on how the client learns, responds and physically adapts.
MORE INFORMATION & BUSINESS CARDS
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like additional information about me or my practice, or would like some business cards. I’d like to do everything I can to help you feel comfortable referring your patients to me. Indeed, I’d really enjoy communicating with you – in any form – in-person, telephone, email or online video conferencing.
Other pages on this website have additional information about me, my practice and my process.
*Covid policies are and will remain in place. I will not work with anyone who is unwilling to implement best practices for Covid prevention including vaccines, boosters, N-95/KN-95 face coverings and adequate ventilation.