THE BALANCE ACT Tammy Tyillian McDill, MS, CES, RCEP, FAACVPR Clinical Supervisor, Healthy Lifestyle Centers KentuckyOne Health

Let’s Talk Balance and Fall Prevention Falls = 10% of ED visits Leading cause of injury-related deaths especially in older population Significant cause of disability 1 in 3 older adults fall each year Annual cost expected to reach $44 billion dollars by 2020

What is a FALL? Caused by a LOSS OF BALANCE Caused by inability to maintain the body’s center of gravity over its base of support Most falls may not result in SEVERE physical injuries, however a fall or near-fall = psychological fear of falling

Designing a Balance Program – Components ACE Certified News Single component versus multi-component Training programs including only single-task activities fail to place the client in an environmental condition similar to that experienced prior to and during a fall (Silsupadol et al., 2009).

Designing a Balance Program – Components ACE Certified News Well-designed balance program should feature concurrent performance of balance exercises and additional tasks. Perform heel-toe walking with a cognitive task such as counting backward from 100 by increments of three Balance on one leg while playing catch with a light medicine ball

Designing a Balance Program – Components ACE Certified News Simulate loss of balance during training Couple resistance training with balance training Sequence balance exercises Challenge with changing environment

TIME TO BALANCE! Weight and Blood Pressure

TIME TO BALANCE!

The KEY to creating BALANCE… FITT “B” Principal –Don’t forget BALANCE Keep it INNOVATIVE –Don’t forget technology (ie, Wii, Xbox, etc) –Encourage home balance exercises Keep it SAFE –One on one training may be necessary –Monitor progression

Contact Info: Tammy Tyillian McDill, MS, CES, RCEP, FAACVPR KentuckyOne Healthy Lifestyle Center 250 East Liberty Street, Suite 102 Louisville, KY

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