What Is It?
Many older adults experience a fear of falling. People who develop this fear often limit their activities, which can result in physical weakness, making the risk of falling even greater. A Matter of Balance is a program designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults.
Who should attend A Matter of Balance Program?
The program was designed to benefit older adults who:
- Are concerned about falls
- Have sustained falls in the past
- Restrict activities because of concerns about falling
- Are interested in improving flexibility, balance and strength
- Are age 60 or older, community-dwelling and able to problem solve
What are the components of A Matter of Balance?
A Matter of Balance uses a variety of activities to address the fear of falling and teach fall prevention strategies. Activities include group discussion, problem-solving, skill-building, assertiveness training, videos and exercise training. Participants receive a workbook to use during the sessions, and to keep as a reference when the class is over.
- A Matter of Balance community classes can be offered both in-person and virtually.
- The in-person A Matter of Balance includes 8 two-hour sessions.
- The virtual A Matter of Balance includes 9 two-hour sessions.
- Both the in-person and virtual sessions are led by two trained facilitators for a small group of 8-12 participants.
Participants learn to…
The program enables participants to achieve significant goals. They gain confidence by learning to:
- View falls as controllable
- Set goals for increasing activity
- Identify common factors that contribute to falls
- Make changes to reduce fall risk at home
- Exercise to increase strength and balance