For care professionals who work with seniors in Independent Living and Assisted Living Communities, maximizing engagement in wellness programs is a pressing topic.

You can be well trained in your field and working with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, but it won’t do you any good if the seniors in your community aren’t motivated to engage in a fitness program.

As a general rule, about a third of people at any age are self-motivated to exercise no matter what. Unfortunately, another third of people will likely never exercise. But, the remaining group is who we want to focus on. They are the people who might not be engaged in regular physical exercise right now, but with the right information and encouragement, they will.

The motivation towards any behavior, including regular physical exercise, is dependent on two primary factors:

1. Whether or not they believe that they can do it
2. Whether or not they believe that there’s something positive in it for them.