ABLE Bodies Balance Training offers an activity-based program to improve balance and mobility for both fit and frail older adults. This practical instructor's guide provides more than 130 balance and mobility exercises that enhance older adults' abilities to maintain balance in completing their everyday tasks.

Reviewer:Jean A Krampe, MSN, RN(Alexian Brothers Community Services-PACE)
Description:This manual for instructors describes and demonstrates component-based activities intended to improve balance in older frail adults. Using the Adventures in Better Living through Exercises (ABLE) model, this book provides a comprehensive and fun approach to increasing activity for older persons.
Purpose:There have been several similar books written over the past 25 years. This book incorporates the necessary theory, detailed instructions on how to practice the exercises, and firsthand knowledge on facilitating the classes, to potentially achieve specific balance-related outcomes. The book meets the objectives, resulting in an important therapeutic instruction manual.
Audience:The audience may include physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, recreation therapists, exercise leaders, personal trainers, or anyone interested in working with balance activities and older frail adults. The author has a background in theory, research, and practice.
Features:The author sets an aggressive goal of addressing the five major components of balance training for the elderly: flexibility, posture and core stability, strength for a purpose, balance and mobility, and cardiorespiratory endurance. She treats each of these separately and weaves them together as appropriate. Each subject is covered thoroughly. The section on logistics for instructors is handled with a level of specificity that leaves readers and future instructors empowered to replicate the successes noted in this book. The section on safety is handled with due diligence and provides a breadth of knowledge. The position glossary is a valuable at a glance tool. The book comes with supplemental online resources that include exercises depicted in the book, take home hand outs, and a certificate of achievement. The web site is user friendly and facilitates a process to print key information. The activity finder is a comprehensive table that combines a training component, intensity level, and specific need. This section serves as a cross-reference for persons developing therapeutic activities focused on achieving specific outcomes. The anatomical figures are high quality and use a readable font. The generous photos of older persons demonstrating the activities are clear; the older persons actually look like they are having fun. This book comprehensively focuses on movement and activity, as intended in the objectives. The author notes the benefit of combining music to activities and offers a few appropriate and applicable examples. An expansion of the music component would be an enhancement. Instructors can access other resources for music, but there are opportunities to include additional suggestions in this book. Some links or web sources for music also would be helpful.
Assessment:This is an exceptional resource for anyone interested in movement and older persons. It is an enjoyable, user friendly book to read cover to cover, and a resource filled with invaluable information. This is a rare combination. I look forward to incorporating this book into my practice.

Categories:

• Medical Books
  
  
  • Medicine
    
    
    • Internal Medicine
      • Geriatrics