Educate
Clinicians must educate elders about activity benefits and practice. It empowers elders to play a more informed, active
role in their own health. Clinicians can correct misconceptions that illness and disabilities are caused by activity or necessitate inactivity. Explain, for example, to your arthritic patients evidence that strengthening programs improve knee arthritis symptoms. Education may also empower elders, improving their mental outlook and self-efficacy. There are many educational opportunities including counseling in a clinician’s office, literature at the doctor’s office or local senior center, verbal instruction from a physical or occupational therapist, and fitness classes at the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) or senior center