On Monday, July 29th, the UnityPoint Health—Grinnell (UPH-Grinnell) weekly Senior Education Program (“SE*ED”) was presented by Anne Sunday, Independent Living Activities Coordinator for Grinnell’s Mayflower Community and Kayley Thompson, Wellness Specialist for UPH-Grinnell.
Both women are certified to facilitate the Area Agency on Aging program, “Matter of Balance. Managing Concerns about Falling.” This eight-week class, two hours per one session each week, was developed by the Boston Roybal Center, a collaboration of researchers with specialized expertise in healthy aging from five Boston-area universities,using evidence-based studies of the impact of falls on senior citizens. It is designed to reduce the fear of falling and, thus, increase activity levels for participants.
Anne explained the disturbing impact that falls have on people over the age of 65, often leading to surgeries and deaths. She discussed ways to make homes less susceptible to falls. Kayley took attendees through a series of low-impact exercises that can be used on a daily basis in various settings to minimize the risk of falling.
Anne and Kayley will lead the next session of Matter of Balance in the Montgomery Lounge at Mayflower beginning on Friday, September 20th. It is open to anyone in the community. The cost is $20 for the official workbook. Registration is limited with space reserved by calling Mayflower (641-236-6151).
