A Client-centered Counseling Approach for Motivating Older Adults Toward Physical Activity

Despite widespread information regarding the benefit of physical activity for health maintenance and restoration among older adults, many remain sedentary or even disengage from physical activity as they get older. This article presents literature regarding older adults' motivation toward physical activity and introduces self-determination theory as a developmentally appropriate framework for enhancing older adults' motivation toward physical activity by addressing needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. A case study illustrates how a typical patient-provider exchange using this approach might transpire.