Physical therapists (PTs), physical therapist assistants (PTAs), students, and supporters of the profession shouldn't wait until National Physical Therapy Month in October to spread the word about the importance of mobility and physical activity—September is Go4Life month, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored campaign that provides plenty of opportunities to educate the public on the ways older Americans can stay healthy through maintaining or increasing endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.
Strongly supported by APTA, Go4Life is an ongoing effort to connect the public and health care providers with information and resources related to healthy aging. In addition to information on how exercise improves health, the Go4Life website includes suggested exercises, workout videos, fitness tracking resources, and access to printed materials including infographics, posters, bookmarks, and postcards, all available for free. The program also offers a free "Speaker's Toolkit" to help providers develop presentations to target audiences—available by emailing Go4Life@mail.nih.gov.
During September, the campaign offers special resources that include a weekly planning guide and a Facebook Live event set for Thursday, September 13, at 2:00 pm ET. The campaign is an effort from NIH's National Institute on Aging, and can be followed on Twitter through @NIAGo4Life.