Professional Series — Supporting People Experiencing Grief and Loss

Strength for Life is about far more than exercise alone. Classes often become important spaces of routine, confidence, social connection and stability for older adults navigating significant life and health challenges.

As Strength for Life instructors, you are not expected to fix complex health or life challenges. This module is designed to help you better understand what participants may be experiencing, while providing practical exercise adaptation, communication and participant support strategies that remain firmly within the Strength for Life instructor role.

This module focuses on supporting participants who are experiencing grief or loss. These experiences are common in later life and will often be present, quietly or openly, in Strength for Life classes.

This module:

• takes approximately 1 hour to complete
• is online and self-paced
• includes practical instructor-focused strategies
• contains interactive learning quizzes
• focuses on real-world Strength for Life class situations
• is designed specifically for fitness professionals working with older adults

Module content draws from current principles used across exercise physiology, physiotherapy, psychology and pain science, translated into practical approaches suitable for Strength for Life classes. Through a Strength for Life lens, supporting someone experiencing grief or loss is not about doing more or working outside your scope. It is about applying what you already do, building consistency, clarity, flexibility, and respect with greater awareness and confidence.

This module will provide practical insights, language, and strategies that fit naturally within group exercise settings and align with your role as a Strength for Life instructor.

Modules are designed to help you build confidence in supporting some of the most common challenges experienced by older adults in Strength for Life classes, while also helping create welcoming and supportive environments that encourage ongoing participation and may help you attract new participants.