Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance® (TJQMBB; formally known as Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance®) is an evidence-based fall prevention program derived from a contemporary routine known as Simplified 24-Form Tai Ji Quan (pronounced tye gee chuwan). TJQMBB consists of an 8-form core with built-in practice variations and a subroutine of Tai Ji Quan - Mini Therapeutic Movements®, which, collectively, comprise a set of functional Tai Ji Quan exercises. TJQMBB represents a substantive enhancement of traditional Tai Ji Quan training and performance as it transforms martial arts movements into a therapeutic regimen aimed at improving postural stability, awareness and mindful control of body positioning in space, functional walking, movement symmetry and coordination, range of motion around the ankle and hip joints, lower-extremity muscle strength, and global cognitive function. TJQMBB is an Approved Provider for the American College of Sports Medicine.

• Target audience: Older adults at risk of falling, people with movement disorder (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, walking difficulties)
• Health outcomes:
  • Improved balance
  • Improved lower-extremity strength
  • Improved physical performance
  • Preventing falls and injurious falls
• Delivered by: Trained lay leader/facilitator, fitness instructor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, nurse, certified fitness instructor
• Program type: Group
• Format: In-person at home, in-person in community, online
• Length: 24 weeks, two 1-hour session per week
• Training: Online, in-person
• Professional required: No, although no professional requirements are needed to deliver the program, individuals who are interested in teaching this community-based fall prevention program must receive training through authorized TJQMBB trainers.
• Topic(s):
  • Physical Activity
  • Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia
  • Behavioral Health
  • Cancer Survivors
  • Chronic Disease
  • Fall Prevention  
• Contact: Dawna Pidgeon (dawna.m.pidgeon@hitchcock.org)

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