Like the “Annual Wellness Visit“ by physicians, more and more older adults are getting Annual Physical Therapy Visits. However, if not done well, annual visits will not add anything to improving outcomes.
To make the most of annual wellness visits, physical therapists need to focus on preventing disability and falls and improving health outcomes. To accomplish that, we need to use valid and reliable tools that specifically address key areas of fitness within the purview of physical therapists. The AFIT (Adult Functional Independence Test) was designed expressly for this purpose.
The AFIT is an individualized, performance-based, functional assessment tool developed by a physical therapist to be used with adults 50 years and older to evaluate the key aspects of fitness central to optimal aging: posture, flexibility, balance, endurance, and strength. All 15 AFIT items are supported by research and list cutoff scores that indicate risk for falls, fractures and other disabilities.
The AFIT doesn’t produce one size fits all results and recommendations. A person may not be experiencing any movement problems right now, but the AFIT can pick up on developing tendencies or deficits that if uncorrected could lead to future problems.
Optimal Aging is a moving target, so it’s important to periodically check one’s functional capabilities, particularly for older adults. A person may need to modify his/her exercises slightly or may need to start new exercises now to prevent problems on the horizon.
In addition to using the AFIT for annual visits, many therapists use it, or pieces of it, in their general clinical practice. It can provide therapists with a roadmap to explore further tests or begin a treatment program. The AFIT can be administered initially, intermittently and at discharge to give a more complete picture of the patient’s initial functional status, improvements, and discharge readiness.
FREE AFIT Form and Instructions Handout
The AFIT Form
Download and use the AFIT in your practice. Once you try it, we think you’ll love it.
The AFIT form includes space for your patients’ scores as well national norms or predictive analytics. It’s ready for you to download and use right away.
AFIT Instructions
This handout lists equipment needed and specific directions for administering each of the assessments. It also lists common errors made when administering each part of the test and helps to increase test fidelity and accuracy.
AFIT Training
The AFIT form and Instructions handout are FREE, but we have found that training increases therapists’ comfort in using the tool and their ability to effectively and efficiently administer it. If you would like further training in using the AFIT as well as access to 18 handouts (e.g., AFIT Score Implications, Common Mistakes, Exercises to Address Deficiencies, Research article detailing the development of the AFIT, Promotional strategies, Sample community and physician flyers, Completed AFIT forms for 3 patients, etc.) and several demonstrations of it being used, we recommend taking the 5-hr AFIT training course or the 20-hr certification course.
- 5-hr online training course that introduces the AFIT and explains and demonstrates its use with 3 different patients. More information is available at https://greatseminarsonline.com/afit-for-optimal-aging/
- The 20-hr certification is more in-depth and includes participant practice performing the assessments, and recommending and explaining specific remediations for issues found during the AFIT evaluation. Participants learn techniques to motivate patients/clients to engage in exercise programs tailored to their individual needs. They also learn techniques to use the AFIT to market their practice and they are introduced to the AFIT Level II, designed for the assessment of lower level patients. Graduates of the FSOAE course are authorized to use the initials FSOAE after their name. More information is available at https://www.greatseminarsandbooks.com/fsoae/
- A list of Functional Standards for Optimal Aging Experts (FSOAEs) is available at http://www.age-optimally.com/
For more information about the PT Annual Visit, see Lewis C and McAllister L. “The Physical Therapy Annual Visit” Geri-Notes, Vol 31, No 4, September, 2024