Freezing temperatures, icy sidewalks, snow-covered gardens. For many older Vermonters, winter means a decrease in physical activity, even when they know that this is not healthy. One way to get moving come early spring is to sign up for a free fifteen-week exercise program, offered by Ge Wu, PhD, of UVM's department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science and Larry Keyes of Microdesign Consulting in Colchester. They want to compare the effects of doing the same exercise in three different ways: using a DVD alone in your own home, exercising with a group in a community setting, and combining the two: using an interactive television program in your own home to get the benefits of exercising with a group.

It is clear, Wu says, that falls and fall-related injuries are common among older people because of age-related declines in muscle and bone strength, often combined with other problems with seeing or hearing. It has been proven that regular exercise can help delay and even reverse these changes and reduce the risk of falls. Long interested in the benefits of exercise for older people, over the last decade Wu has been studying ways to overcome their reluctance to commit to a meaningful exercise program. She found that weight training did not draw people; it was too strenuous and caused strain. Then she thought of her Chinese roots and how millions of old people come out early in the morning to public parks in China to do Tai Chi, a traditional martial art that involves slow but continuous movements of the whole body. Ten years ago, there wasn't much data about the effects of Tai Chi. But now, Wu says, each year many studies demonstrate that Tai Chi improves strength and balance, and it may prevent falls.

In her studies of the effects of Tai Chi, Wu found another problem: older Vermonters do not like to come out for regular exercise programs. Many do not drive, and the weather often keeps them inside. The question then becomes: How can you exercise at home and still get the benefits of a live instructor who can see what you are doing and comment? Three years ago, Wu and Keyes invited older Vermonters to try out their new interactive tele-exercise program. They set up telecommunications units and network connections in  people's homes, enabling them to tune in to the exercise program and be able to speak to as well as see the instructor and the other students.

Jacquie Mitchell, 76, of Burlington participated in that first tele-exercise study. A fourteen-year veteran of Parkinson's disease, she found that Tai Chi relieved her symptoms. "Dr. Wu made sure that any problem with the technology was taken care of," she says. "The instructor helped me when I needed it. It was a wonderful experience, and I mourned it when it was over."

This study showed Wu and Keyes that older Vermonters are open to new technologies, not intimidated by them, and that they welcomed the fact that they did not have to leave their homes. All of the participants showed significant improvement in their balance and  ability to walk distances, Wu says. They also showed a decrease in their fear of falling. This spring, Wu will measure the differences in the physical effects of the Tai Chi exercise and the participants' willingness to commit to it in three settings: at home with the interactive technology, at home unsupervised with a DVD, and at a community exercise site. The instructor and the exercises will be the same for each setting.

To be eligible for the spring study, you must be 65 years old or older, have had a fall during the past year that required medical attention, or have a fear of falling. Since you will be chosen at random for one of the three groups, you must be: fully ambulatory, able to travel to a community center, able to commit to a 15-week program, and have a television. You must live in an area serviced by a broadband internet provider (Wu will assist in this determination).

There is no known risk of Tai Chi Chuan exercise in elderly populations. The instructor will modify the level of difficulty of the movements according to your physical condition, joint pain or muscle soreness. You will not be paid for participating, but there will be no cost to you, other than your time.

If you are assigned to the tele-exercise program, you will receive a telecommunications unit and network connection installed in your home shortly before the exercise program begins. If you do not have an internet connection, Wu will have one installed. After the fifteen weeks, all the equipment will be removed. If you are assigned to the home-based DVD program, you will receive a set of DVDs and a DVD player, if you do not have one. You are asked to devote a minimum of three hours in one-hour sessions over the course of each week. If you are assigned to the community-based program, you will be asked to attend one- hour classes three times each week at a community setting, such as the YMCA or a health club.

"Anyone who works with older people is concerned with falls," says Cliff Singer, MD, associate professor of Psychiatry at UVM and co-medical director of Elder Care Services at FAHC. "Dr. Wu is not the first to show the benefits of Tai Chi, of course, but she is the first, as far as I know, to show such great results from a program that can be done at home. What's so great is that people seems to easily accept this technology. This research is obviously important for rural regions such as ours because of the challenge that travel (especially during winter) poses for seniors with balance problems."

Interested?
Contact Ge Wu at 802-656-2681.

Barbara Leitenberg writes on senior issues for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging. This article originally appeared in the Burlington Free Press.