In this lesson you will learn about safety considerations and how to reduce risk in your Classic classes.
- Focus on the benefit of preparation and verbal cueing and communication mitigate risk for your participants.
- Think about how the additional safety considerations enhance the member experience by providing a low-risk environment.
One of the primary responsibilities for a SilverSneakers instructor is managing safety. Risk management can be much different in a group setting than it is when working with individuals on a one-on-one basis.
Below are some guidelines for managing risk in a SilverSneakers Classic class environment:
Cue a minimum of three times for breathing, posture, hydration and perceived exertion.
Breathing cues
- Cue for continuous breath throughout class with no breath holding.
- Encourage exhalation on exertion phase of exercise during resistance training in order to promote even blood pressure and discourage blood pressure spikes.
- Any verbal interaction and feedback that takes place with your participants will encourage consistent breathing. During your class, a fun and intentional way to discourage breath holding is to ask your students to count down repetitions with you (i.e. 4, 3, 2, 1). An even better idea is to have them count down in another language, like Spanish, French or Japanese.
- Use restorative and relaxing breathing techniques during the Relaxation phase of class.
Posture
- Use cues that encourage upright posture like “let’s sit tall”, “bring the chest up with shoulders back and down”, “we can lengthen the spine, reaching the crown of the head toward the ceiling”.
- Encourage participants to sit forward on the chair without the support of the chair back when it is safe to do so. This simple forward body placement will encourage a more upright posture and higher engagement of core muscles. Removing the support of the chair back makes simply sitting upright a core workout!
Hydration
- Give your students at least three opportunities to hydrate during class. Consider giving even more water breaks if your class offers higher intensity options or if the weather is dry or hot.
- As we age, our thirst mechanism begins to deteriorate, so reminders to drink during exercise become extremely important for the older adult.
Perceived Exertion
- Use the SilverSneakers perceived exertion chart, which is numbered from 1 to 10, in every single SilverSneakers Classic Class. This chart is an important tool for instructors, mitigating participant risk by assisting instructors to correctly monitor exertion levels as they teach. By using the PE chart with purpose, instructors can adapt the intensity level of movements and individual exercises more efficiently during each class.
- Make sure to review the chart at the beginning of class, or during your pre-class management, and create the expectation of feedback from your participants, so you can use participant feedback to safely and effectively teach your class.
- Ask your students to use the numbers or color zones on the chart for more effective communication.
- Avoid cues like “I’m a 5 on the PE Chart. What number are you?” as this will encourage your class members to mimic your exertion level, thereby decreasing the accuracy of their feedback.
Have an emergency action plan
- Do you know how to exit the building if there is an emergency such as fire or flooding? Be sure to know the layout of your building and always have an exit strategy.
- Do you have a plan in case of medical emergency during class?
- Take time to review your emergency plan with your SilverSneakers class members. Understanding the details of an emergency action plan can prevent a great degree of chaos if you ever need to instigate such a plan of action.
Additional Safety Considerations
- Class Environment – Be certain the space utilized for class is well-lit, free of trip hazards and is kept at a comfortable temperature for exercise. Be aware of the trip hazard involved with moving on carpet if your class is held in a carpeted room. Hard, non-carpeted flooring like wood or vinyl is best for Classic classes.
- All equipment and water bottles should be stored underneath the chair, out of harm’s way, to reduce trip hazards.
- Remember to cue consistently for tool and water retrieval. Begin by transitioning your class participants to a seated position, then cue “step to side and reach to side,” supporting with the opposite arm on the thigh while reaching past the outer thigh. Encourage lateral spinal flexion.
- To decrease fall risk, participants in Classic should wear athletic shoes that provide optimal stability, traction and support for their joints. Sandals and flip flops increase fall risk and are not appropriate for SilverSneakers Classic.
- Provide support – Help those who need you the most. Consider placing more frail or less familiar participants in the front row. Assign them a class member to help them feel included.
- Provide a staff person for every 30 participants – If you have more than 30 participants regularly, recruit additional staff or an assistant to help you lead.
- An additional class should be added if class participation continuously meets or exceeds room capacity for a continuous period of one month or 12 classes.
- Provide an additional staff member for classes that are held in a large gymnasium or fitness studio with the capacity to accommodate more than 30 adults.
Quizzes