Nature Rx: Foundations of Outdoor Physical Activity Prescription for Older Adults

Overview

Older adults living with complex health needs have a right to live with risk similar to all other individuals, yet when they interact with the health care system, clinicians tend to overprotect older adults when there are safety concerns and over focus on the potential negative and physical consequences.

Clinicians should instead be engaging older adults in a balanced, broadened and strength-based approach to risk assessment and management. This type of approach leverages older adults’ strengths and considers the negative and positive emotional, social and physical consequences of perceived risky decisions. Learning how to have a broaden and balanced approach to risk assessment has led to improvements in communication, clinical thinking, decision making and efficiencies in the care process and had decreased the moral distress that clinicians sometimes feel in these situations.

The Living with Risk: Decision Support Approach (LwR:DSA) is an approach to risk assessment that incorporates and operationalizes these elements and is especially useful when there is a difference of opinions about the care plan.

Led by experienced physiotherapists and researchers, join this on-demand course that introduces the “Nature Rx” movement, highlighting how time in nature can be used as a safe, accessible, and effective prescription to promote mobility, reduce frailty, and improve mental well-being in aging populations.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the physical, cognitive, and psychological benefits of nature exposure for older adults

• Understand the evidence supporting outdoor activity as a therapeutic intervention

• Apply principles of Nature Rx in prescribing outdoor movement and exercise

• Identify barriers and solutions for implementing nature-based activity in various healthcare settings

Audience

This course is designed for:

• Physiotherapists and rehabilitation professionals

• Kinesiologists and exercise therapists

• Occupational therapists

• Anyone working with older adults in clinical, community, or long-term care settings

Presenter Bio

Nicole Struthers is a student in the Combined MPT/PhD program at Western University. Her research is focused on the use of nature-based interventions in managing non-communicable diseases, environmental physical therapy, planetary health, and physical therapy education and practice in the context of ongoing climate change. Nicole’s expertise contributes to discussions of how physical therapy can contribute to making both people and our planet attain the highest possible standard of health and well-being.