Written by Catherine Jones, Director of Planning and Quality Assurance at Generations, Area 13 Agency on Aging & Disability
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 33% of Americans aged 65 and older fall every year. Another statistic states that every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall, and every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall. Falls also take a financial toll on patients, with the average cost evaluated as reaching billions of dollars. Falls, with or without injury, also carry a heavy quality of life impact. A growing number of older adults fear falling, and as a result, limit their activities and social engagements. This can result in further physical decline, depression, social isolation and feelings of helplessness. These burdens may be alleviated by a variety of programs, including Matter of Balance.
Matter of Balance is an evidence-based, nationally-recognized, fall prevention program focused on training older adults to reduce their fear of falling and increase activity levels while socializing with their peers. Groups of eight to 12 older adults participate in each program with two trained facilitators. The program enables participants to reduce the fear of falling by learning to view falls as controllable, setting goals for increasing activity levels, making small changes to reduce fall risks at home and exercise to increase strength and balance.
The curriculum includes group discussions, mutual problem solving, role-play activities, exercise training, assertiveness training and a few homework assignments. Participants learn about the importance of exercise in preventing falls and practice exercises to improve strength, coordination and balance. Participants also conduct a home safety evaluation and learn to get up and down safely. Additional topics include home safety, assertiveness, developing positive strategies for change, reducing barriers to exercise, identifying physical risk factors for falls, personal action planners, recognizing misconceptions about falls and moving from self-defeating to self-motivating thoughts.
Materials for participants are provided at no charge. The program consists of eight two-hour sessions: once per week for eight weeks or twice a week for four weeks. These programs occur in many different places. If a participant cannot physically get to the site of the class, a trained staff member can come to a designated location to determine if the participant’s space is adequate for the program.
These programs have been successful and enlightening for many participants, leading them to learn what steps to take to be safe and minimize any damage they may experience from a fall.
