ALERT CONTENT PLACEHOLDER

To help you stay active in between TIME™ classes, we've put together this list of exercise and wellness videos that are appropriate for people with mobility challenges. The selected videos work best for people who find it difficult to walk in the community and who use a cane or walker to get around. These videos can be found online and are available free of charge.

TIME™ Exercise and Wellness Videos for People with Mobility Challenges 

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 The TIME™ Program

Together In Movement and Exercise (TIME™) is a community-based program welcoming people with balance and mobility challenges to exercise. It focuses on functional mobility exercises, done mostly in standing, with hand supports available to assist with balance. The program is designed by physiotherapists at Toronto Rehab, and led by TIME™-trained fitness instructors in community centres across the country.

TIME™ brings healthcare and community organizations together to make group exercise more accessible so that Canadians with mobility-related disabilities can keep physically active.

Who Comes to TIME™?

Participants in the TIME™ program experience balance and mobility challenges, meaning that they may find it difficult to walk in the community and may also use a cane or walker to get around. TIME™ participants may be living with:

  • Neurological conditions such as stroke, brain injury and multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Age-related mobility impairments and/or deconditioning
  • Weakness after an operation or extended hospital stay

To be eligible for the program, individuals must be able to walk at least 10 metres (30 feet), with or without a cane or walker, and do so safely without the help of another person. This is roughly the distance to cross the street in a residential neighbourhood.

Participants register for a block of classes (a session) which typically ranges from 8 to 12 weeks, with hour-long classes that are offered twice weekly.

standing exercise participants

 What to Expect

TIME™ exercises are designed to train your balance and mobility. They strengthen muscles in the legs and core and improve coordination, overall fitness, and ease of movement.

The exercises look similar to important movements performed in daily life, such as: rising from a chair, shifting your weight, reaching, and stepping up to a curb. With a ratio of 1 staff for every 4 participants, each class starts with a seated warm-up and ends with a seated cool-down, but the majority of the class is spent practicing these functional movements in standing.

Benefits and Testimonials

The following videos demonstrate the program and portray the many benefits for participants:

 

Abilities Centre in Whitby, ON

 

Fraser Health Authority, BC

 

Vancouver Coastal Health, BC

Participants in the TIME™ program have experienced significant improvement in balance and walking ability and reported the motivating benefits of exercising in a group class.


"Without any hesitation, without any exception and without any reservation, the TIME™ program is by far the very best thing I have ever done … to enhance my physical, emotional, and personal wellbeing. And to top it all off, I find this unique program empowering, self-enhancing and, perhaps best of all, a lot of fun." – Written by a TIME™ participant who has had MS for 44 years


"The TIME™ program … gave me confidence, strength and the will to do better. I feel good about what I have achieved through the program. The TIME™ program lifted me up – like the lift-off of a plane." – Written by a TIME™ participant


"There are many positive aspects to a program such as this, held in a convenient location, at our local Community Centre. It is a treasure. [My husband] is surrounded by people of all ages and sizes participating, by choice, in activities. There are babies swimming, and people walking and biking, and so on. It's a busy, happy place. For the past 10 years he has mostly been with disabled people. We are grateful for this program." – Written by the wife of a TIME™ participant

 Registration Information

Find your nearest TIME™ program using this interactive map. Select your region from the left sidebar to narrow down your search area. Programs are located in Atlantic Canada, British Columbia, northern Ontario, and southern Ontario. A program contact person is listed for each site.


 
 


You can also view our program listing as a PDF – Canada-wide TIME™ Program Listing  – making it easy for clinicians to print and distribute to patients who may benefit from the program.

You DO NOT need a healthcare referral to register for TIME™, participants can self-refer. Please call the contact person identified on the site listings to begin the registration process. The TIME coordinator for your site will do a telephone screening call with you to ensure that the program is a good fit.

Cost to the Participant

  • Registration fees for the TIME™ program vary from site to site. The price ranges from free to $15 per class. Contact the site directly for this information.
  • Funding assistance for registration fees may be available from the community centre. Inquire at your site about discounted rates for seniors or sliding scale fees for low-income households.
  • If subsidies are not available at your local centre, Jo's TIME™ Fund may provide help with TIME™ program registration fees and/or the cost of transportation.
seated exercise participants

 Information for Health Care Professionals

How to Refer Participants

Individuals who would like to join TIME™ can self-refer to the program, but healthcare professionals can facilitate the process by helping eligible participants to locate their nearest time program on this interactive map.

You can also view our program listing as a PDF – Canada-wide TIME™ Program Listing  – making it easy for clinicians to print and distribute to patients who may benefit from the program.

How to Bring TIME™ to Your Community

Our framework relies on a healthcare-community partnership. If you are a clinician or a community organization interested in building a TIME™ program in your community, reach out to us at TIME@uhn.ca for tips on how to get started.

Obtaining a TIME™ license is easier than you may think. When you purchase a license you receive:

  • The rights and access to use the TIME™ name, design, logo and brand
  • The TIME™ Toolkit and Exercise Program
  • All accompanying resources and training materials
  • Implementation support from the TIME™ team at UHN
  • Training support for instructors, healthcare partners and volunteers
  • Access to new resources and updates, including educational webinars and other events

For more information on licensing or to purchase a TIME™ license, please visit our registration page

Facts About TIME™ – Together in Movement and Exercise

Facts About TIME™  answers Frequently Asked Questions about the program.

Other Resources

1. Just in TIME™ Newsletter

An electronic newsletter providing updates on the program and bringing the TIME™ community together. To sign up for the newsletter, please email TIME@uhn.ca.

2. Participant and Caregiver Experiences with the TIME™ Program: A Qualitative Study, 2015

  • Webinar
    How does the TIME™ program affect the daily lives of participants and their caregivers? (June 7, 2016) Nancy Salbach provides an overview of the TIME™ program and describes the experiences of 13 participants with neurological conditions and 12 caregivers with the TIME™ program. This 1-hour webinar was hosted by the Canadian Advisory Collaborative for TIME™ (CAN-ACT), with help from Alda Tee.
  • 2-page summary of the study results: Impact of a Community Exercise Program.

3. Published Pilot Program Evaluation

Salbach NM, Howe J, Brunton K, Salisbury K, Bodiam L., Partnering to increase access to community exercise programs for people with stroke, acquired brain injury or multiple sclerosis. Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

4. Knowledge Mobilization Workshop – May 30, 2014

On May 30, 2014, a large group of stakeholders from across Canada came together with the ultimate goal of increasing access to exercise programs for people who live in the community with balance and mobility limitations. The 53 attendees shared their successes in community-based programs, including reports of the benefits from participants who have exercised at the programs. We also identified the challenges for implementing and sustaining the programs and strategies to overcome them.

Complete description of the meeting and what we learned from it 

5. Now published

Salbach NM, Howe J, Baldry D, Merali S, Munce SEP. Considerations for expanding community exercise programs incorporating a healthcare-recreation partnership for people with balance and mobility limitations: a mixed methods evaluation. BMC Research Notes. 2018. DOI: 10.1186/s13104-018-3313-x

6. New: Perspectives from Fitness Coordinators and Instructors: A Qualitative Study 2019

Skrastins O, Tsotsos S, Aqeel H, Qiang A, Renton J, Howe J, Tee A, Moller J, Salbach NM. Fitness coordinators' and fitness instructors' perspectives on implementing a task-oriented community exercise program within a healthcare-recreation partnership for people with balance and mobility limitations: a qualitative study. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2019. DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2019.1570357

Webinar: Nancy Salbach discusses fitness coordinators' and fitness instructors' perspectives on implementing TIME™ within a healthcare-recreation partnership. This 1-hour webinar was hosted by the Central East Stroke Network.

 
Fitness coordinator/ nstructors experiences working with healthcare partners in TIME™ program

 Subsidy Information for Participants
Group doing step-up exercises  

Jo's TIME™ Fund (JTF) helps participants in financial need to keep active with TIME™ by subsidizing registration fees and/or transportation costs to the program. The goal of JTF is to increase access to exercise for as many people as possible. As a TIME™ coordinator or instructor, you can apply to JTF on behalf of your participants.

JTF can assist a participant with one or both of the following costs for every TIME™ session they attend:

  • TIME™ program registration fees to a maximum of $200 per participant
  • Transportation costs to a maximum of $400 to help with the round-trip travel to the approx. 20 TIME™ classes in a session

Steps to Apply for a JTF Subsidy

  1. We request the help of the community centre in identifying individuals who are in financial need using your usual criteria. We do not request any proof of finances and trust the community organization's decision that the participant would not be able to attend TIME™ without financial assistance.
  2. The community centre should exhaust their own subsidies first, before applying on behalf of their participant(s) to Jo's TIME™ Fund.
  3. The community centre covers the registration and/or transportation costs upfront, and then completes and submits the Subsidy Request Form to the Fund for reimbursement.

For more information or to apply for a JTF subsidy, please see the Subsidy Request Form 

To support our participants by contributing to the fund, visit Jo's TIME™ Fund

TIME™ at Home is a pre-recorded exercise program hosted by a live virtual facilitator. This 60-minute program includes a seated warm-up and cooldown, and 40 minutes of exercise done in standing, practicing movements used in day-to-day life. Exercises have been adapted from the classic in-person TIME™ program to be done safely at home. Opportunity for online social interaction is incorporated before or after each class.

For a quick peek into a TIME™ at Home class, view this 1-minute video:

 
TIME™ at Home Promo

Information for Participants

Is TIME™ at Home right for you?

TIME™ at Home is best suited for people with balance and mobility challenges, meaning that they may use a cane or walker to get around and find it harder to walk in the community but can walk 10 or more meters. This program is not suited for individuals who need help from another person while standing, walking, or getting up from a chair.

When following along with the exercise video, participants will need to self-pace and self-select the exercises that are at the right level for them. Participants will also need some basic equipment at home, including a sturdy chair for sitting, hand support for balance (such as a countertop), and a non-slip step or target using items from around the home. Participants will also need an email address and reliable internet access in order to join the classes from their computer or tablet.

How to Find a Program

The KITE clinic offers TIME™ at Home in small groups so that you can easily get to know your fellow participants throughout the session. Registration is open to participants residing in the GTA. You can self-refer by completing this form  and selecting TIME™ at Home from their virtual program options. The referral can be faxed to 416 597 7111 or emailed to kite.clinic@uhn.ca. Any interested participant can also reach out to kite.clinic@uhn.ca with questions.

The MS Society of Canada offers the TIME™ at Home program to participants living across Canada. Due to its popularity and demand, class sizes can exceed 20 participants and registration priority will be given to people living with MS. People with other health conditions can still register if space is available. To register, please visit their website, or call the MS navigators at 1 844 859 6789.

Several of our classic TIME™ sites expanded to include TIME™ at Home as part of their programming. Please inquire within your existing program to see if this is available at your site, or reach out to us at TIME@uhn.ca.

Information for Community Partners and Healthcare Professionals

With this virtual delivery model

  • The exercises can remain consistent from class to class, in keeping with the evidence-based classic TIME™ program where repeated practice of functional movements has been found to be most beneficial.
  • Participants are to self-pace and self-select from the standardized TIME™ exercises.
  • Social interaction (structured or unstructured) can be built in before or after each class.
  • Facilitators for TIME™at Home do not need to be certified fitness instructors.
  • Facilitators will participate in a 90-minute training session with the TIME™ team.

If you are interested in running TIME™ at Home, please view this 3-minute informational video about the license

 
TIME™ at Home Informational Video

To purchase the TIME™ at Home license, please click on the button below. If you have any questions, please email TIME@uhn.ca.

Purchase the TIME™ at Home license​
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