September 23 is Fall Prevention Awareness Day

The Oasis Institute, in collaboration with CLAIM (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), Missouri Baptist Medical Center and BJC Home Care Services, will hold a community wellness fair for older adults. The “Stay Grounded for Life” event will include free screenings related to better balance and fall prevention and tips for preventing fall-related injuries, as well as updates on Medicare changes for 2016.

WHERE: Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road

WHEN: Wednesday, September 23. Fall prevention screenings from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Medicare updates at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

WHAT: The September 23 event will educate older adults on how they can reduce their risk of falling. The event is sponsored by AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans, insured by United Healthcare Insurance Company. It is the first in a series of fall prevention activities that will take place across Missouri over the next two years as a result of a $558,000 grant from the federal Administration for Community Living (ACL). The goal is to increase participation in evidenced-based fall prevention programs over two years.

Attendees will learn six steps to prevent falls, and receive information about local resources, exercise classes, and changes they can make around their homes to reduce the risk of falling. The State of Missouri CLAIM office will conduct the Medicare update presentations.

National Fall Prevention Awareness Day was started in 2008 by the National Council on Aging to raise public awareness of this growing problem among older adults. The September 23 event - the first day of Fall - will feature balance screenings by OASIS volunteers and a physical therapist, blood pressure screenings by the St. Louis County Department of Health, and medication review by local pharmacists.

WHY: Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for those 65 and over. Each year, one in three Americans aged 65 and over falls. More than 18,000 older adults die from falls. Falls were the leading cause of injury-related deaths in Missouri in 2013, and Missouri’s rate of fall injury is 31% higher than the national average. Falls often result in fractures or even traumatic brain injuries in older adults; and an estimated $28.2 billion a year is spent annually on treating old adults for the effects of falls. It is projected that the direct treatment costs will reach $54.9 billion annually in 2025, at which time the cost to Medicare would be $32.4 billion.

The ACL grant will support an ongoing series of evidence-based fall prevention programs that offer simple, cost-effective interventions to eliminate known risk factors, treatments that promote behavior change, and access to community clinical treatment and social services. OASIS and its partners will offer both Matter of Balance and Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance classes across the state, which have been shown to reduce the risk of falls by as much as 55 percent. Research has shown significant improvements for participants regarding their level of falls management (the degree of confidence participants perceive concerning their ability to manage the risk of falls and actual falls); falls control (the degree to which participants perceive their ability to prevent falls); level of exercise; and social limitations with regard to concern about falling.

WHO: Participating organizations at the September 23 event include The OASIS Institute, CLAIM (State Health Insurance Assistance Program), Missouri Baptist Medical Center, BJC Home Care Services, St. Louis County Department of Health, Mid-East Area Agency on Aging, St. Louis Osteoporosis Group, and St. Louis County Library.

For more information: https://www.oasisnet/St-Louis-MO/Classes?title=Balance