About Us

Functional Fitness, L.L.C. was founded by Patricia A. Brill, Ph.D. in July 2000. Functional Fitness, L.L.C. is a small, woman-owned company certified as a historically underutilized business (HUB), which designs and implements functional fitness programs for older adults with varying levels of functional performance. It is the mission of Functional Fitness, L.L.C. to provide scientifically researched, quality exercise programs to help improve strength, balance and functional performance of older adults, thus maintaining their independence and enhancing their quality of life.

Over the twenty years, Dr. Brill has conducted research and designed exercise programs for older adults living at home, in independent and assisted living communities, or in nursing homes, as well as in dementia care facilities. Older adults’ regular participation in these exercise programs has resulted in their being able to walk, garden, cook for family and friends, volunteer, travel, and participate in many other social and physical activities they previously were unable to do.

Dr. Brill has written Functional Fitness for Older Adults, an illustrated guide for activity professionals working with adults over the age of 65 with various levels of functional performance. She has developed and produced 4 exercise and/or training videos for seniors of various levels of functional performance. She has published more than 25 peer-reviewed research articles, coauthored a fitness prescription provider guide for physicians and health professionals, and has presented on exercise for older adults at more than 18 National and/or International conferences and has won numerous awards for the design and implementation of her functional exercise programs.

AWARDS

2000

National Mature Media Award for the dementia exercise training video.

1998

American College of Sports Medicine Healthy People 2000 Physical Activity Promotion

Award for designing and implementing a research strength training program for a large

assisted-living corporation.

1997

South Carolina’s Award for Research in Aging for the design and implementation of a

placemat that illustrates a strength-training program called “The Kitchen Table is not

Just for Eating…Let’s Exercise!”

1995

University of South Carolina’s Award for Excellence in Research for the 1994-

1995 academic year for the creation of a Functional Fitness Strength Training

Program to Restore Activities of Daily Living in Frail Individuals.