Facilitating Successful Aging: Encouraging Older Adults to Be Physically Active

Participation in regular physical activity has the potential to change the way we age. Evidence indicates that engaging in regular physical activity can provide dramatic physical, mental, and social benefits to older adults and decrease overall any-cause mortality. For older adults, the focus changes, and beside the promotion of health, maintenance of independent living becomes paramount. Nurse practitioners (NPs) must counsel older adults on the benefits of physical activity. The Stages of Change theory can be used to encourage older adults to change sedentary behavior and become more active.