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

The Fall Prevention Lady at Atria El Camino Gardens

Tomorrow, Thursday July 26th at 1 pm, I will be offering my Fall Prevention 101 workshop at Atria El Camino Gardens in Carmichael, California.  I used to teach seated senior fitness classes at Atria El Camino Gardens and I am excited about returning to introduce my new and improved approach to fall risk reduction and balance training.

Atria El Camino Gardens is one of the top assisted living facilities in the area and they are an agency that firmly believes in the power of prevention to keep their residents strong and able.  Engage Life Directory, Staci Weisz provides continuing education workshops to her residents and she loved the idea of offering my Fall Prevention 101 workshop to residents and to the general public.

This workshop not only educates about things that increase the risk of a fall but is also an introduction to the balance and mobility training classes I teach and what participants can expect to do.  The program is progressively challenging and trains both the muscles and senses involved in balance.  FallProof™ is a nationally recognized program and works when a person works it!

Again, the Fall Prevention 101 workshop at Atria El Camino Gardens is free and open to the public! Date:  Thursday July 26 at 1 PM.  I am tentatively scheduled to begin a balance training session on Wed August 8th.  Those one-hour classes will meet twice a week (Wednesdays at 1pm and Saturdays at 10:30am) for four weeks, August 8-September 1, 2012.

My book, The Complete Guide to Fall Prevention, will be on sale to those in attendance.

Educate.  Demonstrate. Facilitate.

My fall prevention interview with the Senior Spectrum

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