Therapeutic exercise is an important step for many patients working to regain independence in ADLs. The Occupational Therapy Toolkit includes both Treatments Guides and Patient Education Handouts to help your patients comply with the therapeutic exercises needed for their recovery. Over the years, I have compiled a list of other great resources that you can use in your OT practice or suggest to patients.
Enjoy!
Cheryl Hall, OT
Author and Illustrator
Occupational Therapy Toolkit
Physical Activity Guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide specific guidelines for the physical activity levels essential to healthy aging. Their guidelines for older adults include the recommended activity and duration.
CDC Website
DIY Hot and Cold Packs
These sites offer free instructions on how to make your own hot or cold pack with common household ingredients.
Easy DIY Ice Packs – Website
DIY Hot or Cold Rice Bag – Website
Hand Shadows
Making hand shadows are a wonderfully creative way to work with hand function, ROM, bi-manual coordination, visual perception and cognition. Download the free image.
Hand Shadow Image
Go4Life Exercise and Physical Activity
Go4Life, an exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging at NIH, is designed to help older adults fit exercise and physical activity into their daily life. Free resources include: DVDs, Audiobooks and Exercise Guides.
NIH Website
The Arthritis Foundation – Exercise Resources
The Arthritis Foundation provides a mix of free exercise resources and low cost fitness DVDs created specifically for people with arthritis.
Arthritis Foundation Website
Exercise Booklets for Falls Prevention
The non-profit Fall Prevention Center of Excellence offers, for a fee, a set of 3 exercise brochures. The illustrated brochures include ten exercises, in large print, that demonstrate how individuals can remain balanced, flexible and able-bodied in order to prevent falls.
Fall Prevention Center of Excellence Website
Sit and Be Fit
This non-profit is devoted to healthy aging and offers gentle seated exercise videos for seniors. Selections include general or disease specific programs. The videos are available for purchase in several formats: DVDs, CDs and Streaming, or can be previewed on YouTube.
Website
Yoga for the Rest of Us
Peggy Cappy is the creator of the PBS “Yoga for the Rest of Us” DVD series and the founder of Gentle Stretch Yoga. Peggy has perfected an adaptable yoga program that is easy, effective, and enjoyable for seniors and others who need a gentle or modified approach to yoga.
Website
Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance
Developed by a team of researchers at the Oregon Research Institute,Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance helps older adults improve their balance and reduce the likelihood of falling. The program is intended for community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and older, who can walk easily with or without assistive devices. Participants should practice the program at least twice a week for 12 weeks, in a class taught by an authorized instructor. For more information on the benefits of Tai Chi or becoming an instructor visit their website.
Website
Kinesiology Tape – Application Instructions
This commercial site has a comprehensive collection of kinesiology taping instructions to treat a wide variety of injuries and health conditions. Each page also has a link to a printable document. The website also includes general information about preparing the skin and applying and removing your kinesiology tape.
Website
Adapted Yoga – Sit, Stand or Wheel
Created by an occupational therapist, Adapted Yoga lets people with mobility challenges experience the many benefits of traditional yoga. This unique video provides 4 variations of each pose, making yoga accessible for all.
Website
Range Master Shoulder Therapy
This commercial website has great quality and low prices.
Website
