Eleven Seniors Get Up from the Floor in Workshop

47% of people over the age of 60 who fall cannot get from the floor.  As a health and fitness professional, that statistic alarms me.  I am well aware that one of the biggest fears facing older adults is falling and being stuck on the floor with no one finding them.  Are we so focused on preventing the fall that we forget to teach what to do after a fall???

Today I taught eleven older adults at the Woodland Community Center the skills they need to get up from the floor in my "3-Step Get Up" workshop.   I firmly believe that it's best to have a plan, one that you have practiced so if a traumatic event happens, you have a plan and feel confident doing it.

This group of older adults was excited about learning and did not hesitate to practice strength and flexibility exercises and get down on the floor so they could practice getting up again. 

The first step after a fall is to breathe.  Your brain needs oxygen now more than ever.  Focus on your body, breathe, relax.  A fall is a traumatic event.   We practiced breathing patterns and giving the brain what it needs for healthy function. 

I demonstrated several ways to get up.  It's important to see how to get up, to visualize yourself getting up, without injury, before doing it.  What's more important is to practice while you're able; before a traumatic event.   

Even though I specialize in teaching people how to NOT fall down, accidents happen.  I developed this workshop to teach older adults the skills they need to get up after a fall.   This is a lifesaving skill that everyone over the age of 60 needs to learn and practice now, before a fall.