Research

Research Spotlight

Pepper Center Investigator, Jen Brach

On the Move: Group Exercise for Improved Mobility in Older Adults®

Dr. Jennifer (Jen) Brach, PT, PhD, FAPTA, is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She is the Director of the Pittsburgh Pepper Center and has spent her career developing and testing exercise interventions to improve mobility and promote independence in older adults.

Falls and declining mobility are among the most common threats to independence in older age, yet many exercise programs for older adults emphasize strength or balance alone without addressing the underlying timing and coordination of walking itself. On the Move (OTM), developed by Dr. Brach and colleagues, is a group-based exercise program designed specifically to target the timing and coordination of movements critical for walking. Using music, props such as cones and balls, and partner-based exercises, OTM challenges participants' brains to coordinate movement and posture, improving the smoothness and efficiency of walking. The program is rooted in principles of motor-skill development and relies on high repetition of goal-oriented, progressively challenging movement patterns.

OTM began as a small pilot study funded by the Pittsburgh Pepper Center, which supported the development and early testing needed to establish the feasibility of the program. That pilot data laid the groundwork for a series of randomized clinical trials, and the program is now recognized by the National Council on Aging as meeting the highest-level evidence criteria for fall prevention and health promotion programs, qualifying it for Title III-D funding from the Older Americans Act. The program, initially developed and tested in Southwestern Pennsylvania, has started to expand across the country, with licensed sites and trained OTM instructors located in over 10 states.

Older adults interested in the program can join an OTM class through one of the growing number of licensed community sites, where trained instructors lead group sessions designed to be both rigorous and social. Organizations and fitness professionals interested in bringing OTM to their community can apply to become a licensed site or a trained instructor through the program's website, onthemove.pitt.edu.

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