7th Annual Citrus Heights Senior Health Fair

Each year for the past seven years, the folks at the Sunrise Parks and Recreation District have hosted the annual Citrus Heights Senior Health Fair.  Each year the program gets better.  This year, the event is on Thurday May 15 from 9am-1pm.  Vendors will be there and there will be educational workshops and senior fitness assessments.  All of this is free to the public!

I will be presenting my dynamic, educational Fall Prevention 101 workshop from 10a-11a.  No registration is required; just show up ready to learn!  I will discuss aging, balance and how to reduce the risk of an accidental fall.  You will feel empowered to take control of how you're aging after attending this workshop.

I will also be offering Senior Fitness Tests to measure functional fitness components associated with fall risk. I will measure your lower body strength, lower body flexibility and dynamic or moving balance.  You will need to sign up to reserve your spot for an assessment.  I will be doing these senior fitness tests from 11:30a-12:30p. 

For those who may be interested, I may offer a quick balance assessment using the short-form Fullerton Advanced Balance scale.  This is a 4-item test that gives me a quick assessment of the sensory systems involved in balance.   I'll do those from 12:30-1pm.

1 in 3 people over 65 and 1 out of 2 people over 80 falls each year.  That's an estimate.  I think it's an underestimate.  It's also estimated that over half of all falls can be prevented through education, exercise and early detection.  Get involved in your wellness!  Come learn what may be causing you to fall.  Learn evidence-based exercises that have been demonstrated to improve balance! 

Come to the 7th Annual Citrus Heights Senior Health Fair!
6300 Fountain Square Dr, Citrus Heights, CA  95621

Balance Assessments during Fall Prevention Awareness Week

I was thinking about it and I really feel like doing balance assessments using the Fullerton Advanced Balance(FAB) scale!  I love this 10-item assessment tool because it measures a multitude of elements associated with balance  and fall risk.  It sheds light into the integrity of body systems involved in balance and can be a real eye opener for some.

I used the FAB at various senior and community centers as part of my research study during my graduate studies in 2010 and have had the opportunity to implement the short-form FAB at both the 2011 and 2012 Area 4 Agency on Aging (A4AA) and Kaiser Permanente sponsored Community Fall Prevention Awareness events in Sacramento.

Unfortunately, the A4AA and Kaiser are not hosting another fall prevention community awareness event so it's up to local providers who are passionate about reducing falls among older adults to do something on our own!  And that's exactly what I'm doing; coordinating with local churches to offer balance assessments for older adults.

Community Outreach Balance Assessments and Fall Prevention Workshops:

1.  Parkside Community Church (5700 S. Land Park Dr.  Sacramento, 95820)

• Balance Assessments:  Monday, September 9.  9:30-11:30am.  Registration required
• Fall Prevention 101 Workshop:  Monday, September 23.  10a-Noon.  

2.  Northminster Presbyterian Church (3235 Pope Ave, Sacramento, 95821)

• Balance Assessments:  Wednesday, September 25.  9am-Noon.
• Balance & Mobility Training Classes:  M/W, 9-10am, Oct. 7-Oct. 30

Get educated.  Get active.
We can't stop the season, but we can prevent the accident.

The Fall Prevention Lady