Exercise programs help prevent falls

The Costa Mesa Senior Center is committed to enhancing the quality of

life by developing and implementing programs that support health and

wellness. In August 2003, the center established a fall-prevention

program to offer a comprehensive, group-structured approach that

helps seniors avoid injurious falls. The program began with 12

participants and now serves more than 100 seniors each week.

California has the largest senior population of any state in the

nation, with more than 3.5 million Californians 65 and older. This

segment is expected to grow at more than double the rate of the total

population. More than 11%, or 12,234, of Costa Mesa’s residents are

older than 60, and more than 9,200 of these are over 65. Advancing

age and declining physical activity make this age group especially

vulnerable to falling.

The risk of debilitating injuries from falls increases

dramatically with age. On average more than 1 million older

Californians fall each year, and more than 200,000 falls result in

injury. Injurious falls are very serious, causing fracture, head

injury or lacerations. Many who sustain hip fractures do not recover

their previous level of function.

The goal of the fall-prevention program is to improve

participants’ agility, gait, coordination, balance, strength,

flexibility and aerobic endurance, thereby increasing their ability

to successfully perform activities of daily living and to reduce

their risk of falling. This is accomplished through a comprehensive

series of classes for adults over 50.

The classes are designed to reduce stiffness, improve mobility and

enhance functional capacity. Class activities also reduce the anxiety

experienced as a result of falling. Experiencing a fall undermines

seniors’ confidence in their ability to ambulate safely and leads to

self-imposed restrictions resulting in further decline, isolation and

depression.

Clearly, preventive strategies that reduce the risks of falling

are the most effective means of helping seniors maintain their health

and independence.

Classes are offered year-round in quarterly sessions:

* Balance and mobility classes have been very successful in

reducing the number of falls and injuries from falls. Participants

completing the program are able to move more quickly from one

location to another, indicating improved walking efficiency. Slow

walking speed is associated with a higher risk for falls; this

improvement in mobility is very important. A number of participants

report that they are not using their cane or walker as often or have

stopped using it all together.

* Lite aerobics or low-impact aerobics, as defined by Georgia

State University department of health and kinesiology, consists of

aerobic movements involving large muscle groups used in continuous

rhythmic activity in which at least one foot remains on the ground at

all times. This type of aerobic exercise evolved to decrease the

lower-leg injuries associated with high-impact classes.

* Simply Lite is set to popular music with gentle, slow rhythmic

movements designed to gradually warm up the body. The intensity of

these movements progressively increases to elevate and maintain the

participants’ heart rates in their target training area.

* Functional Fitness is designed to maintain the ability to

successfully perform activities of daily living and to improve

functional capacity in strength, flexibility and posture.

* People with Arthritis Can Exercise is designed to bring more

movement to people with arthritis and is also beneficial for anyone

interested in relief from stiffness and improving mobility. The class

focuses on restoring or maintaining joint range of motion and muscle

strength in addition to improving posture and endurance.

Instructors for the classes hold master’s degrees in gerontology

or kinesiology.

We are fortunate this year to be funded in part by grants from the

Archstone Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation whose mission

is to prepare society for the growing needs of an aging society, and

the California Wellness Foundation.

When one gets older we refer to the years as the golden years. For

some it is so, but others sometimes need help. If you know of anyone

who is in need of this program, please feel free to call us at (949)

645-2356, ext. 16.

OCTOBER ACTIVITIES AT THE CENTER

* Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.: Join us when we will host a down-home

barbecue, line dancing and music by the Doo Wah Riders Band. Come

decked out in your Western attire and be ready to kick up your heels.

The cost is $5 for members and $12 for nonmembers. For further

information, call the center at (949) 645-2356. Reservations are a

must.

* Sat., Oct. 29, we will hold an outdoor sale. From 8 a.m. to 1

p.m. we invite you, your family and friends to come along to the

center’s parking lot for some bargain-hunting fun. A pancake

breakfast will be served by the Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club

for $5. If you are interested in selling your goods, contact Darryl

Kim at (949) 645-2356, ext. 15, to reserve a table.

* AVIVA GOELMAN is the executive director of the Costa Mesa Senior

Center and will write occasional columns about the center, its

members and senior issues.