Registration open for Stepping On, a program to reduce falls in older adults
Park City, Utah (April 18, 2017) — The Summit County Health Department Health Promotion team is holding a free workshop for seniors in the North Summit area. Stepping On, a workshop to helps older adults improve balance, strength and other behavioral habits to reduce falls, is held once a week, for seven weeks.
Workshops will be held Wednesday evenings, beginning April 26 through June 7, from 5-6:00 p.m. at Toole & Associates Physical Therapy in Coalville. To register, contact Tiffany Anderson at the Summit County Health Department by phone at 435-333-1506 or email: tanderson@summitcounty.org.
Stepping On will help participants identify why they fall and different ways to prevent falls, including strength and balance exercises, home safety check suggestions and a medication review. The workshop is both for people who have fallen and for people who fear falling. Participants will leave with greater strength, improved balance and increased confidence and independence as a result of performing various exercises and sharing personal falls experiences as a group.
The program was developed by Dr. Lindy Clemson of Sydney, Australia, to help older adults learn ways to prevent falls. It was brought to the United States by Dr. Jane Mahoney, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and other partners. Research has found that people who complete the workshop have a 31 percent reduced rate of falls.
For more information, contact Tiffany Anderson at the Summit County Health Department by phone at 435-333-1506 or email: tanderson@summitcounty.org.