On The Move

Are you interested in becoming a certified On the Move instructor? Sign up today for one of our upcoming training sessions and use code "OTM885" for an early-bird discount of $50 off your purchase!

August 16th and 17th, 12-4pm: https://pittprofessional-shrs-ce.catalog.instructure.com/courses/otm---on-the-move-certification-course-august-2023-virtual
September 27th and 29th, 8am-12pm: https://pittprofessional-shrs-ce.catalog.instructure.com/courses/otm---on-the-move-certification-course-september-2023-virtual

https://youtu.be/NAWI_S1T490

On The Move

Interested in becoming an OTM Certified Instructor?
We have new virtual courses! Details here:

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Continuing Education

Dr. Jennifer S. Brach and Gardenia A. Juarez presented their poster on "Establishing a distribution approach for the dissemination of the On the Move group exercise program" at the Academy of Health Dissemination and Implementation Conference 2022 in Washington, DC.

University of Pittsburgh Physical Therapy
University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Interested in becoming an OTM Instructor? Take a look at our website to see what you need:

Become an Instructor | On The Move Offering OTM Become an Instructor Are you interested in becoming an On the Move: Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults certified Instructor? You need to: Be a licensed health professional (PT, PTA, OT, COTA) or certified fitness instructor (certified by a national recognized fitness o...

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On the Move (@OnTheMovePitt) / Twitter On the Move: Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults® (OTM) is a exercise program designed to target the timing and coordination of walking

Meet the On the Move (OTM) Team!

https://www.onthemove.pitt.edu/about/team/

Interested in becoming a licensed On the Move site?

You can find more information here: https://www.onthemove.pitt.edu/instructors/become-a-licensed-site/

Interested in becoming an OTM Instructor?

We have a certification course on November 2 and 3:

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Continuing Education

We are so excited to share our new website! Check it out!

On The Move | Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults On the Move:Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults® LEARN MORE On the Move: Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults® (OTM) is a group-based exercise program for older adults designed to target the timing and coordination of walking. The program challenges the brain to ma...

Jennifer Vincenzo, Mindy Renfro, and Haim Nesser were interviewed by APTA.

Vincenzo mentioned On the Move in the article as a new program that she expects to gain steam, "The program targets key principles of the biomechanics and motor control of walking," Vincenzo says. "Of note, individuals who are at high risk of falling should not be given a walking program until they can walk safely, as walking can actually increase risk of falls for people at high risk of falling."

Feature | A Closer Look at Falls and Falls Prevention All older adults should be screened for risk of falling. With National Falls Prevention Awareness week happening in September, here's a recap of reasons why and resources to help PTs meet that standard.

Congratulations to the Wyoming Center on Aging for receiving an ACL CDSME grant to fund On the Move in Wyoming.

The OTM Team is very excited to partner with the cowboy state.

We are excited to share a recent article published in the August GeriNotes APTA Geriatrics

Check out this video, which features clips that showcase our participants using On the Move's unique stepping and walking patterns to improve timing and coordination in walking!

On the Move: Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults University of Pittsburgh On the Move: Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults is a physical therapist-developed program from the University of P...

OTM Instructor Highlight!

Jessica Neiss, MPT has a passion for helping Older Adults and People with Chronic Disabilities to maximize the enjoyment of their lives. She has 20 years of experience and loves the challenge of creating therapy and exercise programs for people of all abilities and ages.

- I will teach OTM at To Life! Therapy & Wellness, new clinic and wellness center that helps to bridge the gap between traditional Physical Therapy and exercise/wellness. To Life! helps you to regain what you've lost, retain what you have, and reclaim your active life.

- I love to teach and am passionate about helping Older Adults to feel confident, and strong as they age. The OTM program falls right within those parameters and is fun for all involved.

-I love that OTM is evidence-based and gets people moving and grooving from the very first minute of class. Many programs for Older Adults are seated but OTM helps improve confidence and coordination with walking, which is so important!

- I am so excited to present To Life! Therapy & Wellness as a new center specifically geared towards helping people age confidently, with strength, balance, and a zest for life. You come in to exercise and leave with a community! We are proud to be an OTM registered facility and hope to help many people through our PT, OT, and exercise classes, including the OTM program!

For more information on To Life! Therapy & Wellness please follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tolifefitness/
Or check out their website: https://www.tolifefitness.com/

Our On the Move instructors help to bring our program to older adults across the country, working to improve mobility from coast to coast! Check out the map below to see where they can be found.

Want to join our outstanding instructor network? We have an instructor training session coming up on August 9th and 11th! Sign up here: https://www.onthemove.pitt.edu/instructors/become-an-instructor/

On The Move Instructor Highlight!

Diane Markovitz, PT

Diane enjoyed working in various Physical Therapy settings for years but was always frustrated by the lack of resources for people after they finished one on one therapy. She was thrilled to find On The Move (OTM) and became a certified instructor in 2019! She loved how the program successfully took all of the exercises and turned them into a fun, interactive and social class that had great functional results. It was just the kind of program she was looking for! It even gave her the motivation to make a career shift away from working in a traditional PT setting and instead focus on teaching community based classes for older adults.

She has been developing and teaching a variety of programs for older adults throughout the Pittsburgh area since 2020 and has never been happier or more fulfilled while working as a Physical Therapist. Although she hasn’t taught an On the Move class yet she has found great success integrating some OTM concepts into all of the classes she teaches. She hopes to teach On the Move soon but in the meantime, you’re certain to find some OTM stepping patterns in all of her classes!

Diane’s favorite part of her job is getting to know the folks in her classes and hearing their stories of how exercise has made a functional difference in their daily lives. She focuses much of her teaching on ways that people can carry over what they learn in class so it continues to have a lasting impact on their health. She believes that no matter one’s age or limitations, all can and deserve to feel stronger and more confident in their own bodies!

Diane is thrilled to be part of the On the Move Team! In addition to On the Move, she is certified in PWR! Moves for PD, Bone Fit, and the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program. She has a degree in Physical Therapy from Marquette University.

We had so much fun this morning at the Spencer Family YMCA filming a video of the On The Move (OTM) exercise program.

What makes On the Move unique?

Usual-care classes consist of a seated strength, endurance, and flexibility program. On the Move (OTM), however, is conducted primarily while standing and was designed to be a more challenging program than the usual-care class. Our program specifically targets the timing and coordination of movement with unique stepping and walking patterns.

OTM's timing and coordination approach to improve walking is based on principles of the development of motor skills. As a motor-control-based program to improve walking, there is a heavy emphasis placed on high repetition of accurate exercise activities. Music, props such as cones and balls, and partner-based activities also keep our classes interesting.

And best of all, participants in the On the Move group showed greater improvements in mobility than those in the usual-care group!

Interested in getting involved? Contact us here: https://www.onthemove.pitt.edu/contact/

Contact | On The Move Interested in the On the Move Program? How did you hear about the On the Move program?How did you hear about the On the Move program - OtherWhich category best represents your potential interest related to On the Move?Which category best represents your potential interest related to On the Move - Ot...

We would like to introduce you to one of our amazing On The Move (OTM) trainers!

Leslie Coffman, PT, is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. After graduating in 2012, she worked in outpatient, inpatient, and acute care settings primarily with patients who have neurological and vestibular disorders. She returned to the University to do research on improving walking in older adults. 🚶‍♂️

Leslie has taught OTM at many locations in Allegheny and Washington counties including independent living facilities, senior centers, and senior high rises. In fact, she has taught more OTM classes than anyone else!

She is currently teaching OTM instructor certification courses with the goal of improving walking in older adults on a more widespread level.

Leslie said that becoming an OTM instructor was great for her because it added a layer of diversity to her skill set as a Physical Therapist.

"I can use all of the concepts of OTM in clinical practice, but I have also developed my skills as a group fitness instructor. I believe that PTs will continue to have a grouping role in preventative medicine and I expect that my OTM experience will serve me in that area."

Leslie loves teaching OTM! She loves that it improves walking in older adults AND nurtures the connection amongst people who may not otherwise interact. She has very fond memories of the classes she taught while pregnant with her second and third kids. "Those participants really felt like an extended family for me." ❤️

Something else that she really enjoys about being an OTM instructor is creating playlists that motivate the participants - "music is such a great motivator!" 🎼

An interesting fact about Leslie is that she recently took her first surf lesson last and would like to call herself a real surfer one day. 🏄‍♀️

Walking difficulty is a common and costly problem for older adults. Walking difficulty contributes to loss of independence, higher rates of morbidity, and increased mortality. Exercise may help to prevent walking difficult and On the Move, a group exercise program designed specifically to target the timing and coordination of movement important for walking, has worked to improve this. In fact, On the Move has resulted in greater outcomes in mobility when compared to usual-care seated exercise programs!

Want to read more about On the Move? Check out our research!

Group Exercise Program to Improve Mobility in Older Adults This cluster-randomized trial compares the effectiveness of a group exercise program that focuses on the timing and coordination of movement with a seated strength, endurance, and flexibility program (usual care) on function, disability, and walking ability of older adults.

Interested in becoming an OTM instructor? We are holding three sessions!

Become an Instructor | On The Move Walking difficulty is a common and costly problem in older adults. Become an Instructor $450 if registered 3 weeks prior to the course start using promotion code $500 until midnight the day before the course Session 1 VIRTUAL April 25th and April 27th8am-12pm each dayuse code OTMAPR450 by midnight E...

As people age, walking frequently becomes more difficult for older adults; this is a common and costly problem. Individuals who have difficulty walking are at risk for losing their independence. One way to slow or prevent this decline in walking is through exercise. There are many community-based exercise programs in which older adults can participate. Few of these programs, though, focus specifically on the timing and coordination of movement in walking.

On the Move: Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults® (OTM) is a group-based exercise program for older adults designed to target the timing and coordination of walking. The program challenges the brain to match the timing and sequences of your movements with your posture to improve the smoothness and efficiency of walking. To achieve this ‘better walking’, OTM has a variety of progressive stepping and walking patterns. When compared to a seated strength, endurance, and flexibility exercise program for walking, OTM resulted in greater improvements in mobility.