Feel weak? Stand up.

Lower body weakness is the #1 cause of falls among the older adult population.  Because of that, I call your legs your "fall prevention muscles".  If you want to react quicker to imbalance, if you want to walk straight and feel stable when standing, if you want to prevent a fall, you need to strengthen your leg muscles; both upper and lower leg.

The easiest way that has been proven to make your legs stronger is to do a 'chair stand'.  Simply stand up then sit back down.  No fancy equipment, no grueling routine, simply stand up and sit back down. It's suggested you cross your arms on your chest but if you need your hands to stand up, try pushing off with one hand.  If you can't do that, use both hands.

The next thing is to find out how many you should do.  I use the Senior Fitness Test and have people stand up and sit down as many times as they can in 30 seconds.  That might not seem like a long time until you're doing it!  Do as many stand up/sit downs as you can.  Write that number down and that's how many you do each day.  It doesn't have to take you 30 seconds but when the last one is as easy as the first, do another.

I just finished my first four-week brain-based balance training session at The Heritage in El Dorado Hills and this group got stronger!  Six out of nine people (two were not in class) did three more chair stands in their 30-second post-test.  Three more chair stands in 30 seconds.  These are healthy older adults living in the community, living in their homes, wanting to stay in their homes.

Three more chair stands might not sound like a big deal but until it's you doing it!  These people worked hard and increased lower body strength while improving center of gravity awareness in four short weeks.   Huge improvements for the prevention of falls.

Stronger legs translate to quicker reaction times, more muscle mass, stable walking gaits, and the ability to get up from the floor or get up from a chair easier.  You've got to practice the skills to get up from the floor and follow the tips to get up from the chair but strong legs make independence possible.

Have you ever tripped over your own toes???

If you've ever tripped over your own toes, you want to do this ridiculously easy exercise, seated rather than standing!

In this video demonstration, Kelly (aka, The Fall Prevention Lady) demonstrates how to strengthen the muscles responsible for picking up the toes!  This muscle group atrophies with age (meaning it naturally gets weaker and less able to function with the aging process), so it's crucial that you USE THIS MUSCLE OR YOU WILL LOSE THIS MUSCLE.

Vimeo link:  Don't Trip Over Your Own Toes!!!

I just turned 50 in January and even though I'm a 'youngster' compared to my clients, I'm still at risk of falling with each passing birthday.
My message to you is that you're never too old or too young to start doing these maintenance
exercises if you want to remain independent and able.

IF you don't want to trip over your toes, pick them up!!!!

The Fall Prevention Lady.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday mornings starting in April for
"Coffee Talk with The Fall Prevention Lady"!
7am, PST
9am, CST
10am, EST.

Don't trip, pick em up!
The Fall Prevention Lady

Fall Prevention 101 at Woodland Senior Center

Happy Fall!?!   Of course I'm talking about the season and not the "official definition" of the tragic event of 'unintentionally coming to rest on a surface lower than originally started' (Dr. Rose, 2001).

If you know me, Kelly Ward, "The Fall Prevention Lady™at all, you know that I have been teaching older adults about things that cause falls and how to reduce that risk since starting my graduate studies in 2003.  Although we can prevent (or substantially reduce the risk of) a physical fall, we cannot prevent the season!

Ironically, the National Coalition on Aging (NCOA), the largest government agency geared to the safety and well-being of older adult, has deemed September as National Fall Prevention Awareness month, with the third week as Awareness week and the first day of fall as National Fall Prevention Awareness Day.  This year's motto was "Ready, Set, Balance: Preventing Falls in 2016".  

Today I was honored to be the keynote speaker at a fall prevention event hosted by Comfort Keepers of Yolo County, organized by Cindi Unger and hosted by the Woodland Community and Senior Center.  There was a great turnout (100+ older adults and IHHS workers) as well as community vendors including the Woodland Rotary Club.

I have been presenting my Fall Prevention 101 workshop since 2011, have been blessed to speak to audiences across the country and recently updated my copyrighted material in order to keep current with fall prevention research and supplement with valuable training skills I recently acquired.  

Regardless of how long I've been speaking to groups of older adults, family members and professionals who work with older adults, I grow more passionate about the message I deliver with each presentation.  Today, I was on fire!  I absolutely love what I do and there isn't a shadow of a doubt that I am living God's purpose for me; to empower older adults to make lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of falls.  

The gratitude of the audience was humbling and even though I am not a "Physical Therapist",  I do have God's favor and ability to present a dynamic presentation that I researched, wrote and created.  

Thank you to all who attended.  I hope you are empowered to make at least one change to remain independent and on your feet in your home.  You worked hard for where you are and you have the ability to prevent a (another) fall.

Consistent, not seasonal!
Your friend and coach~

Kelly
The Fall Prevention Lady™

Kisco Senior LIving offers comprehensive fall risk reduction training for Wellness Directors

Investing in your staff is one of the best ways to improve your resident's quality of life. 

A company that wants to offer residents one of the best fall risk reduction programs in the country will proudly have Wellness Directors attend The Fall Prevention Lady's comprehensive training that teaches research-based fall prevention principles and demonstrates evidence-based balance exercises proven to reduce the risk of falls when done consistently. 

Kisco Senior Living is that forward thinking senior living company who realizes the severity of falls among their residents and wants to invest in their staff so everyone is one the same page and working to reduce the incidence of falls.  As such, they developed the 'STAND STRONG" fall risk reduction program. 

Although STAND STRONG  involves all teams in Kisco, the Wellness Team plays a vital role in the physical well-being of each resident.  As such,  two Wellness Directors from each community went to The Fall Prevention Lady's Train-the-Trainer workshop to learn about aging, balance, falls and how to reduce the risk of falls.

EDUCATE.  The first step in a fall prevention program is leaning what causes a person to fall.  Wellness directors listened and shared opinions as the different types of fall risk factors were discussed.  The Fall Prevention Lady's "Muscles and Senses" approach to falls made it easy to understand some of the underlying causes of falls, especially if undetected.

DEMONSTRATE.  Once the wellness member gathered information about a resident, it's time to plan an intervention.  Since staying active is the number one way to prevent a fall, evidence-based balance and evidence-based strengthening exercises were demonstrated and practiced.   This was a skills-based workshop and every attendee was expected to demonstrate a minimal competency level as an instructor in order to pass.

FACILITATE.  Once the staff was trained how to assess a resident and implement a balance and strengthening exercise routine, she/he must keep the resident doing the program!  Adherence to a fall prevention program is critical if the goal of reduced falls incidence is to be met.  Different methods to motivate residents to stick with the program were discussed and adherence charts were given out. 

STAND STRONG is a new program and like all new programs, there will be some revisions and modifications along the way.  However, the fundamentals of this program will make Kisco Senior Living STAND OUT because Kisco now offers a service that no other communities offer. 

 In addition to offering most recent, evidence-based practices demonstrated to reduce falls, Kisco staff members are thoroughly trained in the identification of fall risks, comprehensive assessment of resident circumstances and the planning and implementation of a fall prevention exercise program that is individualized to meet resident needs and progressively challenging to help a resident meet her/his goals.   

Fall Prevention Lady's Train-the-Trainer workshop

I am proud to announce that I will be presenting four fall prevention Train-the-Trainer workshops as part of Kisco's Stand Strong Fall Prevention program.  As a certified FallProof™ balance and mobility specialist and Stepping On Master Trainer, I have designed an amazing workshop for the Wellness Directors of this national senior living company.

I will start with the southern California office on March 18 and travel to the Walnut Creek location for an all-day workshop on March 20th.  After a long weekend, I will travel to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina for a workshop and then finish up in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

These workshops are not only educational but also skills-based.  Fall prevention research has shown that small group training is more effective that training the masses.  An intimate setting enables people to practice the skills they need under close supervision and ask any questions that may arise.  Balance training should be individualized and so should trainer trainings.

I am confident that having Wellness Directors who have completed the Fall Prevention Lady's Train-the-Trainer workshops as part of their Stand Strong kick-off, Kisco will offer a better quality of living for senior residents.