Tai Chi Teacher in Training Course: CE/Cross Training for Fitness and Personal Trainers, Dance, Yoga and Tai Chi instructors in the Community Brochure
People with previous Tai Chi experience, or none, can learn to provide valuable fall prevention activity to seniors living in their community. This course was prepared for physical therapists as a continuing education activity. The training is appropriate for people with some sort of experience training movement such as dance, yoga, or other fitness activity. It is a simple exercise system. You will learn the 8 exercise routine, and the protocol for delivering an evidence based fall prevention activity. You may participate with PT’s OT’s and other therapy professionals, learning from the same “sheet of music”. In addition to the training provided, you will have the opportunity to interact with these professionals and learn to speak their language, the language of evidence based health care. You will receive the same training as the healthcare professionals.
Objectives (Day 1)
A.1 Review/Discuss relevant scientific literature as a group:
Tai Chi/Qigong Mind-Body practices as Physical Therapy to address injury (fall) prevention, chronic conditions, and other Quality of Life issues.
A.2 Assess Pre and Post Tai Chi Training: functional ability and risk of injury.
A.3 Demonstrate Tai Chi Exercises or “Movements” learned.
A.4 Analyze performance of movement using Tai Chi Forms Assessment Tool.
A.5 Demonstrate modified Tai Chi movement for use with persons of varying ability.
A.6 Teach at least once during role play, using Instructor’s Guide.
A.7 Use Instructor’s Guide to integrate tai chi activity as a one on one or small group therapy strategy.
The 8 hour day, which has been approved by The American Tai Chi & Qigong Association (.7CEU’s) as a continuing education activity, has also been approved by “procert” an activity of The Federation of State boards of Physical Therapy. The FSBPT is instrumental in developing legislation and regulation with states relating to licensing , certification, and other reulatory matters.
This Physical Therapy Continuing Education Course is the result of years of working with researchers, educators, practitioners and their patients in community living situations, and combines a practical, experience factor of long term tai chi (mind-body medicine*) program implementation with the clinical research results of an exercise program.
*The ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect health.
Evidence supports the idea that fear of falling may lead to falling, tai chi as physical therapy reduces that fear, and tai chi as fall prevention therapy can reduce the instances of falls by 55%.
Summary of the Updated American Geriatrics Society/British Geriatrics Society Clinical Practice Guideline for Prevention of Falls in Older Persons: Exercise recommendations in the 2010 guidelines specify programs that include balance, gait, and strength training, such as tai chi or physical therapy, in group programs or as individual programs at home.
Tai Chi has also been shown useful in addressing mood imbalances, especially among the elderly, already prone to depression.