UW-Madison: Professor helps seniors stay active, independent through exercise

CONTACT: Kim Gretebeck, kgretebeck@wisc.edu, 608-263-5895

MADISON – We all know that exercise is good for us. The human body is just meant to move, and that’s true even when old age slows us down. In fact, regular exercise does more than keep older adults healthy. It also maintains their independence.

Yet becoming active late in life comes with a unique set of challenges. While a sedentary 25-year-old could buy a pair of running shoes one day and hit the pavement the next, it is not that simple for an octogenarian who might have caregiving responsibilities for a spouse, physical weakness or limitations due to chronic health conditions. It is harder still when that person lives in a rural community without sidewalks or a gym around the corner.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Assistant Professor Kim Gretebeck set out to develop an accessible exercise plan tailored to older individuals who want to stay healthy and avoid physical deterioration that could prevent them from living independently. Gretebeck worked with nurses, physicians, exercise physiologists and physical therapists to develop a program called Physical Activity for Life for Seniors, or PALS.

The program is currently offered by Aging Disability Resource Centers in Landglade, Marathon, Lincoln, Eau Claire, Waukesha, Milwaukee and Wood counties and by the North/Eastside Senior Coalition in Dane County. Gretebeck says the research team is planning broader distribution of the program, and centers in other counties are already on a waiting list to be future sites.