With the COVID-19 raging around the world, many counties and cities are enforcing lockdowns or shelter in place. Seniors and those with underlying medical conditions are especially at risk, making continued rehabilitation or just plain exercise very difficult or next to impossible.
The need for regular exercise for people of all ages is well known, and the benefits for seniors and those suffering from certain conditions has been established by multiple medical studies. Regular exercise is associated with a decreased chance of disability from pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer and pulmonary disease. It is also associated with positive psychological benefits such as decreased depression and improved quality of life. Nevertheless, inactivity continues to be a major public health concern, with many people failing to exercise as recommended.
The amount and type of exercise in which older adults and disabled should participate each week differs based on several factors including age and special conditions such as disabilities and chronic medical or health conditions. For all individuals, some activity is better than none.
The new recommendations speak not only to how much exercise older adults need but also what type of exercise is needed. There are four different categories of exercise:
- Endurance exercises
- Strength training
- Stretching/flexibility exercises
- Balance exercises
For many the hardest part of exercising is getting started. When you think about it, the task may seem enormous and difficult to start. But thinking about fitness goals in 10-minute segments doesn’t seem so daunting. For some it is helpful to make it part of their daily routines.
It is always recommended to work with one’s therapist to create the correct individual training routine using workout routines and other training materials designed specifically for older adults and disabled. Thinking of exercise in shorter periods makes it easier to find time to fit exercise into daily routines.
The Active Passive Trainer (APT) is a family of unique exercise rehabilitation trainers for upper or lower limbs. The APT offers benefits that rehabilitation professionals expect from a medical device that is quality engineered and FDA and CE registered. The APT is commonly used in physiotherapy clinics in the USA and around the world and over the years multiple clinical studies have confirmed the benefits of the trainer.
The wide range of exercise options makes the APT suitable for use by the healthy and independent senior citizen for the maintenance of fitness and physical well-being, and also for the physically impaired of all ages, as part of a planned rehabilitation program and as a supplement to physiotherapy.
The Active Passive Trainer has been in use in physiotherapy and rehabilitation centers for over 25 years and is now available for home use so that you can continue your rehabilitation, without having to leave your home.
For less than the price of a coffee a day, you can own a personal medical trainer to be used in the comfort and safety of your own home, away from the crowds, and continue your rehabilitation at your own pace.
We continue to ship APT Trainers during the COVID-19 crisis. Shipping takes approximately one week from payment.
The APT Trainer is an excellent device for doing all the four exercise types (endurance exercises, strength training, stretching/flexibility exercises and balance exercises)
The APT offers the following exercising options:
- All body exercising legs or arms
- Active resistance exercising
- Passive movement exercising
- Passive/Assist combined resistance and movement exercise
- Five resistance and speed settings
- Four different range of motion rotation settings
- Adjustable exercising height adjustment
Considering all the above exercising options, the APT can be used as follows:
- Endurance exercise – Leg or arm exercising in any of the three operating modes (Active, Passive or Passive/Assist)
- Strength training – Leg or arm exercising at individually selected resistance and speed
- Stretching/flexibility exercising – Setting the range of motion (rotation radius) of the arm or leg pedals
- Balance exercising – Do feet pedaling to strengthen lower body muscle
- Start with five minutes of low-intensity cycling.
- Cycle for 20 minutes, at light to moderate intensity (11-14 on the Borg RPE**).
- Finish with five minutes of low-intensity cycling.
*Please consult your physician or physical therapist before training.
**https://www.physio-pedia.com/Borg_Rating_Of_Perceived_Exertion
Download our brochure today and show it to your healthcare provider or physiotherapist. It has information that they will find useful in helping devise a rehabilitation or exercise program for you.
Contact us now to speak with a rehab/exercise specialist
I am a nurse at an old age home. In our physiotherapy room we have an APT. I can tell you that this machine is always in great demand by our residents.
My husband is recovering from a deadly bacterium that he contracted. One of the key elements that contributed to his recovery was his daily use of the APT.
I got my APT nearly a year ago. I find it invaluable for my CP. I find that using it for around 30 minutes a day, improves both my physical and mental condition.
My son has CP. He loves using the APT and it has become a game for him. His preferred mode is Passive-Assist, he tries to outride the rotation of the APT.
To help me deal with my Type II diabetes, my doctor recommended resistance exercising 2 to 3 times a week for 30 – 60 minutes. Based on his recommendation I purchased an APT.
I have adapted using the APT as part of my living with Type 2 Diabetes. I use it nearly every day for at least 20 minutes. I start with Passive Mode to warm up my muscles and then more on to Active Mode.
