How FOX Wellness is Revolutionizing Older Adult Health
By Jim Shearer, Director of Communications
In January 2025, FOX Rehabilitation was proud to launch FOX Wellness, a program of services which gives our clients the ability to take control of their health. Since 1998, FOX has provided physical and occupational therapy and speech-language pathology services for older adult patients. Traditionally, when a plan of care ended, patients were discharged. That would signify the point when a clinician and patient met their medical goals and insurance coverage for that respective diagnosis ended.
There is substantial evidence that older adults who continue to stay active and regularly exercise reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke, and falls — the latter being the leading cause of injury for adults aged 65 years and older. A customized wellness program is among the options that can also reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis, diabetes, back pain, and depression.
Many times, when a plan of care ends a patient can get into the bad habit of inactivity, which makes them more susceptible to injury and may lead to a vicious cycle of rehab, discharge, rehab, discharge — negating every healthcare gain made in the first place.
FOX always had “private pay” options for patients who wanted to continue working with their clinicians after discharge, but those services were underutilized. It began to make sense to evolve the idea of private pay into a proper FOX Wellness program. After all, FOX’s motto is Be Stronger. Live Better, Longer, and the goal of every FOX clinician and fitness specialist is to help patients and clients achieve what they once thought impossible: optimal function.
This year, instead of stopping our services once a plan of care ends, FOX wants all our patients to consider a continuation in the form of FOX Wellness, which will greatly benefit and maintain their overall health. To provide some more information on FOX Wellness, we speak with Clinical Director of Wellness Programming, John Wheeler, PT, and FOX Fitness Specialist, Brooke Drawdy, who explain the importance of investing in your current and future health and well-being.
It’s the beginning of 2025. Why do you think the thought of fitness—for all ages—dominates the first few weeks of every year?
Wheeler: The beginning of a new year is a time when we reflect on what is important to us. Our health-related goals are one of the most common New Year’s Resolutions made and for good reason. Incorporating exercise and activities into our lifestyle improves our overall fitness level and has a profound positive impact on our well-being. In addition to the health benefits of exercise like decreased risk of heart disease and diabetes, we experience increased energy levels, decreased stress, and improved sleep, which all lead to improved health.
Drawdy: People use the beginning of a new year as an opportunity for a fresh start, with the hope that it will be better than the previous year. They reflect on things they’d like to change, set big goals, and aim to start the year off on the right foot—healthy and happy!
Inevitably, there is always some stat revealing that most people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions before January is even over. Why do you think resolutions are difficult to keep?
Wheeler: A resolution is a change in habit or lifestyle that can be challenging to achieve over the long term. There may not be immediate rewards, and we need to maintain patience and perseverance on the journey. To change a habit or a certain way of living, we need to maintain the motivation to continue a new path over a prolonged time. One further limitation is that we are often accountable only to ourselves.
Drawdy: New Year’s Resolutions are often difficult to keep because they require major lifestyle changes, which may not be sustainable long-term. It is challenging to achieve resolutions without a progressive, realistic plan and accountability. That’s why SMART goals are important! Making sure goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound can help you meet your goals, giving you a sense of accomplishment instead of the disappointment that comes from failing to reach unrealistic goals.
FOX is putting a focus on wellness for 2025. Can you take us through the idea of FOX Wellness?
Wheeler: FOX Rehabilitation believes that older adults should thrive as they age and enjoy life to the fullest. Everyone should be stronger and live better, longer. We recognized that we could be doing more for our patients. FOX Rehabilitation services are highly effective at improving the lives of those with an injury or medical condition up to a point. The healthcare system places limitations on how long we can treat and rehabilitate patients.
FOX Wellness provides an opportunity for our patients to continue to improve on the gains achieved in therapy for an indefinite amount of time. Studies show that patients will decline three to six months after discharge. Our FOX Wellness service creates an avenue for former patients to avoid and minimize a decline in their health after therapy ends.
As healthcare professionals we have an obligation to prevent injuries. FOX Wellness is the perfect service to be proactive and work with older adults that do not have a condition that requires rehab. Older adults that invest in their health will thrive, while minimizing medical expenditures.
Drawdy: Consistent physical activity can help people live their lives to the fullest by improving overall health, maintaining strength and independence, making activities of daily living easier, and empowering people to continue to do the things they love and enjoy for as long as they live. Our FOX Wellness program aims to help redefine aging well, breaking the stigma that growing older is characterized by pain, illness, or declining health or cognition. FOX Wellness encourages people to try new things, be confident in their abilities, and take pride in one’s overall health and well-being.
Statistically, when a plan of care ends, many patients don’t continue with home health routines. What’s your take on that?
Wheeler: Adherence to home exercise programs has always been a challenge and in part explains the decline in health that studies have illustrated post discharge. I believe that the answer ties back to the question about the difficulty in keeping New Year’s Resolutions. A home exercise program is not part of our patient’s lifestyle and requires motivation, positive reinforcement, and accountability to prioritize exercise in our patient’s daily routine.
Drawdy: I believe that when a plan of care ends many people do not continue home health routines because they lose the accountability, motivation, and sometimes resources needed to continue. I think that it is easy for patients to believe that upon discharge from therapy they are better, which can lead to them underestimating the amount of work needed to continue to stay better.
What are the benefits of becoming a client of FOX Wellness?
Wheeler: The benefit that strikes me most is that an older adult who chooses to invest in their health with FOX Wellness has engaged in an active lifestyle that will allow them the independence to live life to the fullest. Wellness members will minimize the expensive costs associated with hospitalizations and higher levels of care from falls and health decline.
We tend to overlook the social impact that FOX Wellness has on participants. Isolation is a real concern for older adults and our program provides opportunities for socialization, improves mood, reduces stress, and encourages an overall sense of well-being.
Our fitness specialists are experts in creating safe, challenging exercises for older adults. Our fitness specialists work closely with our rehab teams and will make timely referrals to other healthcare professionals when necessary. Early detection of a functional decline can prevent costly medical expenses associated with significant injury from falls or other medical conditions.
Drawdy: The benefits of becoming a FOX Wellness client are that you get the opportunity to work with a FOX team member who designs exercise-programs tailored to your goals, makes exercise sessions enjoyable, creates a supportive environment, and cares about your health and well-being. This gives you the chance to try new things, continue doing the activities that you love and enjoy, and feel better mentally and physically. Being a member of FOX Wellness helps you take ownership of your health and discover a brighter, healthier future!
I like the idea of continuation. A patient and a FOX clinician build something throughout their plan of care. It would be a shame to lose that, or for a clinician to have to start from scratch if a patient’s health declines because they didn’t focus on their wellness.
Wheeler: This is so true, when you think of all the hard work that a patient invests in their rehabilitation program to improve their function and independence it does seem like such a shame to lose those gains within three to six months. This is the way it works; it takes longer to make the gains in strength than it does to lose that strength. Think of how you feel after one week of being sick, not exercising and then returning to the gym or another activity.
Having conversations about FOX Wellness got me thinking about investment. People invest and subscribe in all types of different things, but one of the most important investments would be in one’s wellness, correct?
Wheeler: Absolutely, people will pay for the medicine that their doctor prescribes, but we just do not think of exercise as medicine. The fact is that exercise provides far more health benefits than any medicine on the market today. Investing in FOX Wellness provides all the health benefits of exercise and avoids some of the potential costs associated with a decline in function and health.
Drawdy: Yes, I believe that investing in one’s wellness is one of the most important investments you can make. It’s an investment that is guaranteed to yield a high return, including a greatly improved quality of life, which can be enjoyed for many years to come.
A lot of people—especially at the beginning of each year—hire a physical trainer or join a platform like Peloton. What additional value does joining FOX Wellness bring, one that you might not get from your local gym?
Wheeler: Joining a gym or prescribing to an exercise platform like Peloton still requires a great deal of self-discipline and motivation.
Being accountable to a FOX Fitness Specialist greatly increases the likelihood of a person engaging in exercise long term and at a more intense level. It is difficult to challenge ourselves as much as a fitness specialist will challenge us. In addition, a FOX Fitness Specialist has expertise in working with older adults and can prescribe safe exercise routines.
Of course, there is the convenience of having a fitness specialist work with you in your own home, which is a powerful motivator for exercising. This takes away all the reasons for “not being able to get to the gym.”
Drawdy: An additional value you get from joining FOX Wellness that you may not get from your local gym is the chance to work with a team member who is clinically trained, held to a high standard of continuing their education, and collaborates with a large group of experts in the field, including physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and fitness specialists. FOX Wellness also offers a variety of services, in addition to one-on-one training, that a physical trainer at a local gym may not offer, including health and wellness education, group fitness classes, and more.
FOX Founder, Dr. Tim Fox, always talks about wanting to be highly active in his 100’s. I love that his vision is wrapped in FOX Wellness, the idea of not just living longer, but living better longer. What does the future hold for members of FOX Wellness?
Wheeler: When I lived in Raleigh, there was an 80-year-old gentleman—whose name was Joe—that would play basketball with guys that were 30 to 50 years younger than him. I always admired Joe, and I think this is how Dr. Fox feels we should age. Age should not prevent us from doing the things that we love to do. The key to healthy aging is to remain active, and FOX Wellness provides a path to that.
Drawdy: The future holds countless memories to make, achievements to celebrate, and healthy years to enjoy for our FOX Wellness clients, who can continue doing the things they are passionate about and living the lives they want, because they choose to prioritize their health.
As we step into 2025, FOX Wellness represents a transformative approach to helping older adults maintain their health and independence beyond traditional rehabilitation. By offering personalized, expert-guided wellness programs, FOX empowers clients to stay active, prevent decline, and live life to its fullest potential. Rooted in the vision of thriving at any age, FOX Wellness ensures that every client can Be Stronger and Live Better, Longer.