"This text is written explicitly for readers with an interest in the aging process and the effects that exercise has on the quality of life and various diseases and maladies of the aging population. It is expected that the readers using this book as a course textbook or as auxiliary reading for a course, will have taken at least an introductory course in human physiology. The text refers throughout to the three groups in the aging and health spectrum, average aging individuals, the frail elderly and Masters Athletes"--

Go beyond aging theories and examine the physiological and physical impacts of aging. Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults takes a close look at the physical implications of the aging process and how health, physical activity, and exercise interact in aging adults. With an international team of contributors composed of leading experts from across the field of gerontology, Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults delivers comprehensive, interdisciplinary coverage of the physical aging process and its effects on movement and exercise. Research on the physiological and physical implications of aging is presented, focusing on study outcomes and their practical application in optimizing healthy aging. Presented in an integrated and cohesive manner, this text is organized into four parts. Part I covers the theoretical foundations of biological aging, the implications of aging theories on medical research, and the social and economic impacts of demographic shifts due to population aging and global population size. Part II addresses age-related changes to the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and endocrine systems. Part III covers the physical effects of aging on other dimensions of life, including balance, motor control, and physical functions. Part IV focuses on exercise and older adults, taking an in-depth look at exercise measurements and the main barriers to regular exercise. One full chapter is devoted to recommendations for optimizing health for the general public, while another chapter is focused on performance by elite older athletes who exercise beyond functional fitness. Chapter objectives, end-of-chapter summaries, and review questions highlight key concepts and promote learning retention. Behavior Check sidebars look at the impacts of aging on behavior, how behavior affects physical health and activity, and how changes in behavior can improve everyday living. Functional Fitness Checkup sidebars focus on the performance of daily movements that are vital for older adults who want to maintain their physical independence. Putting It Into Practice elements provide examples of real-life application of the concepts presented, facilitating a practical understanding of how to use the content to benefit clients. A definitive resource for students and health care professionals who study physical aging, conduct clinical research, or work with older adults as clients and patients, Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults helps readers understand the aging process and its effects on movement, exercise, and other dimensions of life.

This book translates the new findings in exercise research for the elderly for busy practitioners, trainees, students and administrators. This book provides practical strategies that can be implemented immediately in the common settings in which practitioners care for adults. The format includes key points and case examples which showcase the strong evidence supporting exercise by older adults as a key tool to enhance health, prevent serious outcomes, such as hospitalization and functional loss, and as part of the treatment plan for diseases that are common in older adults. Written by experts in the field of exercise in older persons, this book is a guide to maintaining quality of life and functional independence from frail to healthy aging adults. Strategies and exercises are discussed for specific care settings and illustrated via links to video examples, to ensure readers can immediately apply described techniques. Exercise for Aging Adults: A Guide for Practitioners is a useful tool for physicians, residents in training, medical students, physical therapists, gerontology advance practice nurse practitioners, assisted living facility administrators, directors of recreation, and long-term care directors.

The University of Florida has an ambitious goal: to harness the power of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni to solve some of society’s most pressing problems and to become a resource for the state of Florida, the nation, and the world. In the upcoming decades, an unprecedented demographic shift will take place; the eighty-five and over population is projected to climb far higher than any other age group. To keep the current elderly population healthy and help prevent future generations from experiencing poor health outcomes, researchers are studying crucial connections between skeletal muscles and whole-body health. The University of Florida is at the forefront of this research, utilizing its nationally recognized excellence in the fields of muscle biology and exercise physiology to discover unique ways to preserve muscle health in the aging and those with diseases. Find out how the proteins within muscle can be manipulated to reduce recovery times for individuals who are bedridden. Learn how older, elite athletes have resisted the inevitable degeneration that comes with aging, and how intermittent fasting may help you live longer and healthier. Step inside the lab where a researcher is uncovering the origins of cancer cachexia—a wasting syndrome responsible for 20 percent of cancer deaths worldwide—to improve the lives of patients. The loss of skeletal muscle through disease, disuse, or aging is associated with a host of poor health outcomes, but promising new avenues of research are being studied every day at the University of Florida to make for a healthier tomorrow. The stories chronicled in GATORBYTES span all colleges and units across the UF campus. They detail the far-reaching impact of UF’s research, technologies, and innovations—and the UF faculty members dedicated to them. Gatorbytes describe how UF is continuing to build on its strengths and extend the reach of its efforts so that it can help even more people in even more places.

Masters athletes are those that continue to train and compete, typically at a high level, beyond the age of thirty-five and into middle and old age. As populations in the industrialized world get older and governments become increasingly keen to promote healthy aging and non-pharmacological interventions, the study of masters athletes enables us to better understand the benefits of, and motivations for, life-long involvement in physical activity. This is the first book to draw together current research on masters athletes. The Masters Athlete examines the evidence that cognitive skills, motor skills and physiological capabilities can be maintained at a high level with advancing age, and that age related decline is slowed in athletes that continue to train and compete in their later years. Including contributions from leading international experts in physiology, motor behaviour, psychology, gerontology and medicine, the book explores key issues such as: motivation for involvement in sport and physical activity across the lifespan evidence of lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes the maintenance of performance with age. Challenging conventional views of old age, and with important implications for policy and future research, this book is essential reading for students and practitioners working in sport and exercise science, aging and public health, human development, and related disciplines.

Aging, despite its dismal reputation, is actually one of the great mysteries of the universe. Why don't we just reproduce, then exit fast, like salmon? Could aging just be one big evolutionary accident? Is senescence, the gradual falling apart of our bodies, at least partially avoidable? Can we extend the healthy lifespan and reduce the lingering, debilitating effects of senescence? In this book, investigative health journalist Judy Foreman suggests that we actually can, and the key element is exercise, through its myriad effects on dozens of molecules in the brain, the muscles, and other organs. It's no secret, of course, that exercise is good for you and that exercise can extend longevity. What Foreman uncovers through extensive research into evolutionary biology, exercise physiology, and the new field of geroscience is exactly why exercise is so powerful - the mechanisms now being discovered that account for the vast and varied effects of exercise all over the body. Though Foreman also delves into pills designed to combat aging and so-called exercise "mimetics," or pills that purport to produce the effects of exercise without the sweat, her resounding conclusion is that exercise itself is by far the most effective, and safest, strategy for promoting a long, healthy life. In addition to providing a fascinating look at the science of exercise's effects on the body, Foreman also provides answers to the most commonly asked practical questions about exercise.

This new edition of the comprehensive and renowned textbook Principles and Practice of Geriatric Medicine offers a fully revised and updated review of geriatric medicine. It covers the full spectrum of the subject, features 41 new chapters, and provides up-to-date, evidence-based, and practical information about the varied medical problems of ageing citizens. The three editors, from UK, USA and France, have ensured that updated chapters provide a global perspective of geriatric medicine, as well as reflect the changes in treatment options and medical conditions which have emerged since publication of the 4th edition in 2006. The book includes expanded sections on acute stroke, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory diseases, and features a new section on end-of-life care. In the tradition of previous editions, this all-encompassing text continues to be a must-have text for all clinicians who deal with older people, particularly geriatric medical specialists, gerontologists, researchers, and general practitioners. This title is also available as a mobile App from MedHand Mobile Libraries. Buy it now from Google Play or the MedHand Store. Praise for the 4th edition: "...an excellent reference for learners at all clinical and preclinical levels and a useful contribution to the geriatric medical literature." —Journal of the American Medical Association, November 2006 5th edition selected for 2012 Edition of Doody's Core TitlesTM