Located in Tonganoxie, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, AAHF is a professional association whose overall mission is to instill quality of life through the gamut of aging. This is accomplished by providing advanced training and continuing education for certified personal trainers, athletic trainers and certified nurse aides committed to conducting safe and effective programs for older adults.

To effect a cultural change in the way we view and care for our senior population, Tammy Petersen, the founder of AAHF, has written and published two books: SrFit and Functionally Fit, and developed three training/educational programs: SrFit™, Move More, Eat Better – YOU Matter! ™, and Functionally Fit™.

SrFit™ provides advanced training for certified personal trainers who wish to work with the older adult. There are many programs that currently train people to be senior fitness exercise leaders, but there are fewer training programs that build on the expertise of the personal trainer and that require a certification in personal training as a prerequisite. It seems reasonable to expect that anyone designing personalized fitness programs for seniors should be a certified personal trainer with extra training for the senior population. This will become even more important as the industry sets standards for personal training, and as the medical community and insurance companies begin to recognize personal trainers as a viable option for referring patients who need help with lifestyle change. This in depth course includes a 300-page manual with 60-page study guide, a DVD set, audio CD and examination and qualifies for up to 20 hours of CEU credit with major certifying organizations.

Move More, Eat Better – You Matter!™ links the medical community with the fitness community by providing effective tools for physicians’ patients who need to improve their lifestyle to either manage or prevent chronic conditions that are associated with poor diet and lack of physical activity. This course is designed to guide the participant in change to healthier living and, in turn, to a happier, longer and more productive life. There are six sessions presented in a classroom setting over a six-week period that address the components of a healthy lifestyle and how these relate to the quality of life. Activity, healthy eating, coping with stress and staying motivated are discussed, along with setting SMART goals and self-assessment. The Mayo Clinic Plan hardcover textbook, pedometer, and five additional Mayo Clinic booklets: Walk Your Way to Fitness, The Mayo Clinic Core Fitness Chart, The Pocket Guide to Eating Out, Healthy Weight for Life, and Healthy Solutions for Managing Stress are included as instructional materials.

Functionally Fit™, through on-line trained certified nurse aides (CNA), reaches the chronic long-term care and assisted living patient to provide daily functional training as an accepted and expected part of the daily care plan. It is also feasible to train family members in the Functionally Fit™ philosophy so that they can be involved in the process of keeping their loved one as independent as possible.  The CNA, or other front-line caregiver, is educated and then certified to provide this type of care. Society must change its view that long term care facilities are just warehouses where we store people until they die. Ideally, functional training, with a focus on strength, should be part of a person’s lifestyle at any age. But as people grow older and begin to lose muscle strength and mass, it becomes even more important to reverse, or at least slow, the effects of aging and to guarantee independence for the activities of daily living into old age. Along with the course manual, there are 24 sessions presented in an on line program to facilitate the learning process. A color-coded DVD and poster set of the program to be used with the patient is also provided as an additional instructional guide for each resident’s room.