They say “use it or lose it,” and the United Church Homes (UCH) is hoping their senior residents will “use it” to exercise for a great cause as they work to increase awareness of fall injuries and prevention.
UCH has been awarded a $275,750 grant from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to launch and evaluate a new fall prevention strategy across its network of more than 75 affordable housing communities in 15 states and two Native American nations. The UCH is one of just 18 organizations nationwide selected for the award.
Falls remain the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. UCH’s two-year initiative aims to address this growing public health concern with evidence-based programming that builds strength, educates residents and reduces fear.
United Church Homes residents enjoy an outing.
Fun with future benefits
The initiative includes two original programs developed by UCH staff. One is a fitness program designed to improve strength and balance called Stay Strong. The other is Steady Steps, educational and social engagement activities designed to focus on fall risk awareness.
“Stay Strong is the exercise piece, and Steady Steps will focus on the education side,” said Rachel Harmon, director of Quality and Community Services with the UCH. “We’ll be live streaming the exercise class from one of our buildings, where some of our residents will be working out and other residents in other buildings can follow along on video. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The exercise and activity the UCH seniors take part in today will help others in the future.
Both programs will be delivered through live, virtual sessions on UCH’s YouTube channel and will engage more than 3,000 older adults. Licensed physical therapists, service coordinators and resident ambassadors will work together to lead and support program delivery.
The program will eventually benefit others down the line because there will be pre- and post surveys following the activities, and this information will be studied and put into a database for learning. “We are doing this not only to reduce our residents’ anxiety about falls, and help them prevent falls in their homes, but through the research process we’ll be collecting data that will help others down the road,” said Harmon.
Innovation enhancing safety
“We are honored to receive this grant to address the critical issue of falls prevention for our affordable housing residents,” said Ken Young, president and CEO of United Church Homes. “This funding allows us to implement innovative strategies that will enhance the safety and quality of life for older adults. We are proud to be among a select group of organizations recognized for this important work.”
The program will be kicking off this fall. United Church Homes serves more than 7,000 older adults nationwide and is committed to transforming the experience of aging through innovative, compassionate solutions.
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