Photo Credit: Barbara Blum
In a few short years, the number of group fitness classes held at the Elsie Stuhr Center in Beaverton, Ore, has doubled. It all began in 2005 after implementing the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) by Roberta Rikli and C. Jessie Jones in order to establish a baseline for interested participants. More than 100 people attended these events to see where they rated. Once they had the test results, they were directed to classes based on areas of interest or ones that provided some improvement.
The SFT is a simple, economical method of assessing the physical attributes that older adults need to perform daily activities. It usually consists of seven tests (we only used six)—covering lower- and upper-body strength, aerobic endurance, lower- and upper-body flexibility, agility, and balance. The tests can be conducted with minimal space, equipment, and technical requirements, making them easy to administer in most community settings.[1]
We staff members currently have fitness test results for more than 1,500 individuals. The SFT software produces reports for individuals and groups, both of which can be tracked.