A Matter of Balance – Still Standing Fall Prevention

Senior Living Fitness

A Matter of Balance – Still Standing Fall Prevention

An Inter-generational Program

Beginning in November residents at Fellowship Square-Mesa will have the opportunity to participate in a national program. This program is titled “A Matter of Balance.” The classes will be held once a week at Fellowship Square-Mesa (building #5, 2nd floor) and will be led by students from the Mesa, Arizona campus of A.T. Still University. The student teachers are currently working toward degrees in therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, athletic training, and osteopathic medicine. Every student teacher has attended over eight hours of training and is carefully supervised by A. T. Still University faculty and staff.

“Falls in older adults are a global community health concern and numerous reports have highlighted the extent of this problem. Additionally, falls lead to substantial economic and human costs, largely due to unplanned medical emergencies and hospitalization costs,” said Elton Bordenave, director of the Aging Studies Project at A.T. Still University.

Benefits of Participation

Arizona senior adults who have participated in the program report dramatic changes in their level of mobility and their attitude toward life. Typical are stories like the one shared by a Mesa woman who was afraid to leave her apartment after falling in the street. After attending the program she now reports “My life is totally different. I feel like I am living again.”

Older adults are not the only ones benefiting from A Matter of Balance. Still University students who have delivered these classes report that the interaction with older adults has “changed their life” and given them invaluable insight into the sociological, psychological and economic challenges of aging.

A.T. Still University of Health Sciences serves as a learning-centered university dedicated to preparing highly competent professionals through innovative academic programs with a commitment to continue its osteopathic heritage and focus on whole person healthcare, scholarship, community health, inter-professional education, diversity, and under-served populations.

Jon Scott Williams, C.A.S.P. 
Fellowship Square-Mesa
Executive Director

Visit the A.T. Still University website to learn more about the university https://www.atsu.edu/school-of-osteopathic-medicine-arizona/about-soma

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