Newton Medical Center (NMC) has partnered with the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE), Injury Prevention Program, to bring a national fall prevention program to Newton. The seven-week education workshop, Stepping On, is focused on helping older adults prevent falls.
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. Participants will view a display of falls prevention products. The workshop is both for people who have fallen and for people who fear falling. Participants will leave with more strength, achieve better balance, and experience a feeling of confidence and independence as a result of performing various exercises and sharing personal falls experiences as a group.
The program, developed by Dr. Lindy Clemson of Sydney, Australia, 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% reduced rate of falls.
Classes begin on Friday, September 29, and will meet weekly from 9 to 11 a.m. in the hospital’s Prairie Room. Cost is $35 per person. To register, contact the workshop instructor, Deanna Taylor, at 714-478-2071, or visit www.newtonmed.com to download the registration form.
