Gerokinesiatries—A Pharmacopoeia of Exercises for the Elderly

Abstract

These instructions have been developed specifically for instructors involved in teaching and implementing the Preventicare Exercise Program, as designed and developed by the Lawrence Frankel Foundation of Charleston, West Virginia. For best results, they should be followed precisely as described. The exercise program should be performed no less than three times per week, preferably one hour before mealtime. All exercise groups should be performed in their entirety (unless unusual or special circumstances prevail) because they were designed to involve the total musculo-skeletal system. There is sufficient variety and diversification among the exercise groups to allow, if necessary, modification for the severely debilitated, home-bound or bed-bound. Participants should be taught that they must never hold their breath during exercise, and to always exhale with effort. Floor exercises are most comfortably performed on a mat, rug, or carpet.