Sit to Stands

Intervention Summary

Goals: Leg strength
Patient task: Perform sit to stand to interact with dog
Dog task: Lay on elevated surface as target for patient
Scale: Height, feet positioning, surfaces
Equipment needed: Hi-low mat

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Intervention Overview

We all love a good sit to stand exercise to get those leg muscles strong! This is a great activity for patients who needs lots of sit to stand repetition, are struggling with achieving full upright posture, or even those who are fearful during transfer and need a sweet puppy dog face as motivation. Position your dog on an elevated surface and ask your patient to stand up to reach the dog and give them a treat, a pet, or a kiss!

Patient Instructions

• Start in seated position

• Instruct patient to stand up into full upright position in order to interact with the dog

Dog’s Role

• Dog is placed on elevated surface as a “target” for your patient

• Interaction level: passive

Scaling

Make it easier:

• Patient sits on taller chair

• Keep the dog at a slightly lower height

Make it harder:

• Patient sits on low chair

• Elevate the dog higher (raise the table/mat as high as possible, add additional surfaces to raise dog even higher)

• Various foot positions (feet together, tandem, single leg)

• Uneven surfaces (foam balance pad under feet)

Additional Notes

• Can focus purely on sit to stand repetitions, or you can focus on standing endurance by timing how long patient can maintain upright posture while interacting with the dog