St. John’s Retirement Village’s “A Walk to Remember”…

On June 4^th, 2011 St. John’s Retirement Village in Woodland, California will be holding the “A Walk to Remember” to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease. During this community event, there will also be a speaker, a dog agility exhibition and brain-related health and wellness events such as memory screenings. I have been invited to do balance and mobility assessments and provide fall prevention materials and resources and am excited about connecting with this community near UCDavis.

I love doing these quick fitness tests because they offer me the chance to educate older adults about the importance of each fitness parameter being measured. For instance, using Rikli & Jones’ Senior Fitness Test I can measure 10 dimensions of fitness. The best thing about these fitness tests is that I am able to immediately show the older adult where she/he ranks in comparison to adults of similar age and gender on each test.

SJRV’s Walk to Remember is an excellent opportunity to educate about the importance of the walking gait since how a person walks can be an indicator of fall risk. Walking is an excellent exercise to remain independent but the other components of fitness (strength, flexibility, balance and endurance) affect how a person walks.

So come out to St. John’s Retirement Village in Woodland at 9 am on June 4^th for the “Walk to Remember”. I will be there doing balance and mobility assessments, providing education, and if possible, offering my Take 5 to Exercise DVDs at a special discounted rate. There will memory screenings, other local vendors and the walk is a great way to not only stay fit but also increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in the local community!

The Fall Prevention Lady