Did you know vision, hearing, cognition, medications, and fear of falling all play a role in fall risk? The SAFER Stepping workshop was developed to address ALL of these factors and more!
Read all about it! The latest recap of our February 2019 Community Town Hall is now available online for your reading pleasure!
Be sure to read it here: https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gQl
Success Matters is holding a summer session of the SAFER Stepping falls prevention program, which is not offered anywhere else in the country. The SAFER Stepping acronym stands for Surefooted Aging with Falls-related Education and Resources, and the workshop was carefully designed for Beatitudes Campus residents. When many older adults think about falls risks, they consider balance and the obvious trip hazards, but few consider the many other components that combine to contribute to an overall increased risk of falls. The SAFER Stepping workshop was developed to address all of these factors. SAFER Stepping meets twice weekly for an hour and divides time between developing strength, coordination, and balance through exercises, AND systematically addressing the following falls-related factors: fear of falling, vision and hearing related falls risks, brain health and nutrition, medications related to falls, advocacy and how to discuss falls with health professionals, friends, and family, as well as home and environmental risks and adaptations.
The next SAFER Stepping workshop will begin again on Tuesday, August 7th at 3:00PM and will meet every Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks through September 13th. Call Jessica Meyer at x16110 to reserve a spot or be put on the waiting list for the next available course.*
More than once the Success Matters team has been asked, “What is it you do exactly?” Since this has been a great year for our Success Matters program, we thought we’d share some highlights.
A big part of our work is educational outreach. Our Lifelong Learner classes include: “Family Ties”; TED Talks “Life Lived Well”; “Healthy Aging”; and “Maintain your Brain”. We held information sessions on urinary incontinence, Life Planning documents, GoGoGrandparent, and Medicare.
Our SimulAge staff training helps employees continue to do their best work in interacting with residents. We have worked with approximately 150 staff from across Campus.
Jessica and Josephine teamed up to present at the Beatitudes at Home Spring Education Conference. Jessica also presented on the topic of “Assessing and Addressing Frailty” for the AZ Geriatrics Society; Josephine served on a discussion panel about transportation issues, and completed the Area Agency on Aging Medicare Counselor Volunteer Training.
October was Driver Safety Awareness Month, with OT students from NAU conducting Driver Check-Ups, and featuring AARP for the Smart Driver Course. We held A.T. Still University’s “Listen Up” program, which helps couples resolve communication issues stemming from hearing loss. We hosted the A.T. Still course “A Matter of Balance,” and held our own 6-week Safer Stepping series.
Jessica mentored three OT students from A.T. Still University, Mitch Sopko and Rich Fauci, and Maddie Thueson. Having Maddie, Rich, and Mitch in our department was a definite highlight.
Guest speaker Betty Delano from the AZ Attorney General’s Office spoke about scams, and Tony Motley from the AZ Department of Veteran Services presented on VA benefits.
We started an email newsletter and just published our 4th edition. Contact Josephine at x16117 if you want to be added to the email list.
Our daily focus is working directly to help residents maintain independence and a good quality of life. This might include answering questions about Life Planning documents or benefits, facilitating communication, transportation issues, apartment safety, support groups, and more.
Our little garden just outside the back of Agelink continues to grow. Please feel free to come visit. We aren’t growing anything edible but we do have a nice grouping of ferns, succulents, flowers, and cacti. They love to be admired and fussed over. We have seen two hummingbirds at our feeder, and a few lizards taking it easy out back. There is a bench where you can sit and contemplate on the east end of Agelink. Welcome!
Success Matters at Beatitudes Campus was awarded the 2017 Arizona Leading Age Award for Innovative Health and Wellness Programs.
Below is a summary of information and news discussed at the May Town Hall meeting.
The SAFER Stepping Fall Prevention Course has begun its third session and continues to offer residents targeted balance and leg strengthening exercises, as well as fall risk education and great tips for preventing falls. If you’re interested in signing up for the next fall prevention course this spring, call Jessica at x6110. For those who are also curious about less formal methods for building balance, consider the following two innovative ideas.
Studies show that dancing can improve balance and gait patterns. One study compared seniors who were social dancers with senior non-dancers. The social dancers averaged 80 years of age and danced four times a month. The study found that while the dancing seniors were not stronger than their non-dancing counterparts, they had better balance, safer walking patterns, and more confidence in their balance abilities. Another study of older adults participating in tango classes twice a week found senior tango participants did have better leg strength than a similar group who walked for the same amount of time each week. If you’d like to have fun at Beatitudes while improving your balance, you might try participating in Zumba Gold dance classes on Mondays at 2PM in the Motion Studio or Open Dance Floor in the Recreation Center every 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 4PM.
Another fresh approach to building balance and mobility confidence involves the use of walking poles. Nordic walking is walking with poles similar to ski poles. The use of trekking poles for Nordic walking can provide stability, improve gait length, speed and posture, reduce load-bearing weight on the knees, hips, and spine, and increase strength and endurance in the upper body, making walking a full-body workout. In fact, Nordic walking is widely used as an effective therapeutic walking technique for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. While Nordic walking, you should walk in an upright position and make sure you do not lean forward or backward. Your head should be up and looking forward. The poles are held close to your body with your elbows bent at approximately 90 degrees. When the leading foot moves forward, the opposite arm swings forward to waist height. The opposite pole strikes the ground level with the heel of the leading foot. Trekking poles can be purchased at most sports stores and in many camping departments at department stores. Test out your trekking poles with the morning walking group and take advantage of the beautiful weather! *
