By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Westborough – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the loss of strength and stamina attributed to aging is in part caused by reduced physical activity. By age 75, about one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity.
In addition to cardiorespiratory endurance (aerobic) activity, older adults can benefit from muscle-strengthening activities. Stronger muscles help reduce the risk of falling and improve the ability to perform the routine tasks of daily life.
Regular physical activity that is performed on most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer. It can also help ward off anxiety, stress and depression.
But for an older person, who perhaps has not done so in years, or faces daunting health challenges, the thought of exercising may be one that is just too overwhelming to contemplate. The goal of ActiveRx, an Arizona-based company, is to convince mature adults otherwise; that, in fact, exercising, under the right supervision, with programs specifically targeted for them, can not only help them be stronger and more fit, it can also dramatically help reduce some of the effects of their ailments.
That’s a mission that Paul Reilly firmly believes in. In 2012 Reilly joined ActiveRx as a regional sales director and helped launch a center in Westborough, which has been one of the company’s most successful ones to date.
In 2014 Reilly was named CEO and is now responsible for day-to-day management of the company’s business operations as well as contracting deals for new centers. He is also overseeing the move of the company’s headquarters to Westborough into a suite across from the current center.
Prior to joining ActiveRx, Reilly spent 17 years with Boston Scientific’s Cardiovascular Division in a variety of sales leadership and management roles. A native of Rhode Island, he graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1989 and served as an engineer officer in the U.S. Army. He now lives in Westborough with his wife, Julie, and their children.
The decision to join ActiveRx was predicated by several factors, according to Julie, who is also the Westborough center’s office manager.
“Exercise and strength training have always been passions of his,” she noted. “And both of us had aging parents. The opportunity to help mature adults be able to stay fit and stay independent made the ActiveRx a great fit.”
ActiveRx’s model is based on more than two decades of scientific research on the direct correlation between strength and functional independence in aging, according to its website.
There are three steps designed to help clients regain and maintain strength – the ActivEval, Active Physical Therapy and Strengtherapy.
The ActivEval is a whole body physical function and strength assessment. It assesses risk for injuries and falling and specific areas of weakness.
In Active Physical Therapy, clients work one-on-one with a licensed physical therapist to manage and eliminate pain that limits activity; recover from past and present injuries and either prepare for necessary surgery or avoid unnecessary surgery.
The third step, Strengtherapy, features small classes of three to five people of similar age and ability. In these sessions, clients use weights, strength equipment, participate in floor and balance exercises, and even use a Wii Fit system under the supervision of specially trained and certified strength therapists.
“It really is gratifying work to help our clients get stronger and more fit,” Paul said. “We get anecdotal feedback all the time that our programs have a positive impact on chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis.”
On the company’s website, clients offer their testimonies of how ActiveRx has helped changed their lives for the better.
After one man suffered a stroke at age 61, “I pretty much thought my life was over,” he wrote. But after a month of sessions at ActiveRx, he went from having a difficult time walking a quarter mile to being able to walk three miles with ease.
“It’s an amazing thing in that short period of time,” he said. “Now I can ride a bicycle. I love to hike and I can hike now. I do woodwork as a hobby so I’m able to get back in my shop. I can stand up and function normally. There’s nothing I can’t do.”
Other patients tell stories of living in chronic, debilitating pain before working with ActiveRx therapists. Not only do they now move with ease, they have also been able to stop taking prescription pain medications.
For more information, call 508- 329-1163 or visit: www.activerx.com.
