CAHF Convention: Take 5 to Exercise

      Tomorrow, I am headed to the California Association of Health Facilities Annual Convention in Anaheim.   This is where directors, executives, and managers for all long-term care facilities in the state of California get together for continuing education, product display and demonstration, and of course, personal entertainment.  

      Skilled nursing homes and long-term care institutions are all too familiar with the prevalence of falls among the elderly population.  In fact, Dr. Laurence Rubenstein stated that 4 out of 5 long-term care residents fall each year and he contributes lower body weakness as the number one cause for these falls.  (Aging Well, Winter 2008).

      Because I specialize in fall prevention exercises, I  have my work cut out for me!  The reason it will be a challenge for me is because in their eyes, the directors and management personnel already have an Activity Director in charge of Fall Prevention.  The AD is supposed to do what it takes to keep the residents active.  The unfortunate thing is like management, most activity directors do not realize how important a thorough exercise program is in the prevention of falls.   Most ADs do not specialize in fall prevention, and are not Certified senior fitness trainers.  But I am!  

      That is why I hope to network with as many people as I can to tell them about my Senior Exercise Videos series, Take 5 to Exercise.   My series is an asset to any video library but as a Health and Fitness professional, I provide an education that is useful not only to an elderly viewer but also an interested caregiver.    

My Train-the-Trainer workshop is perfect for staff members because it is easy to understand and use in everyday life.  Participants enjoy a power point presentation, physical demonstration, hands on experience, and a thorough education about aging and the human body.  

       Because I am a one-woman business, my booth will to be fancy.  I will not offer candy treats nor do I plan on wowing them with expensive eye-catching technotronics.  I do plan on greeting everyone with a warm smile and exuding my passion for helping seniors reduce the risk of a fall through the application of consistent movement.   I hope each person who visits my booth will take away one fall prevention exercise that they will do daily.  

Watch out, Mickey, move over Donald, the Fall Prevention Lady is coming to town!