Upright And Able falls prevention programme
An Upright and Able course at the Senior Citizens’ Hall: “It’s good and it’s making me work,” says Ross MacKay. Photo: Jane Bellerby.
“My aches and pains are really disappearing with my increased movement,” says Jean Langford, a course participant in Upright and Able, an ACC and Nelson Bays Primary Health-funded pilot programme being trialled in Golden Bay and across the Nelson Tasman region.
Jean says she can really see the value of movement when she is feeling sore, rather than too much resting. “I think the course is marvellous and it’s helping me tremendously. Now I can manage the stairs without being afraid of falling.”
Upright and Able, which is free to participants, is aimed at those in their middle years and beyond. It addresses strength and mobility and the prevention of falls. Falls are a leading cause of hospitalisation for those over 65 and also account for a number of significant injuries among all age groups.
Local facilitators Jacinda Hohepa and Erica van Sint Annaland of Golden Bay Physiotherapy are positive about the course.
“We see how it makes people feel good, gives them confidence and increased balance and mobility, as well as good social contact each week,” says Jacinda.
Each Upright and Able session in the six-week course consists of an activity and a presentation. From information on safe and appropriate footwear, healthy eating for strong bones, knowledge of the part medication plays in affecting balance, to home-based exercises, walking circuits, Sit and Be Fit, line dancing, Tai Chi and strength exercises, participants move through the programme assisted by a team of enthusiastic presenters.
Glenis Bell of Nelson Bays Primary Health Organisation, which oversees the entire pilot programme, says Upright and Able is part of research that, if it continues to provide the results she is seeing, may well be rolled out nationally. “This is not about recovery from falls, though people who have had falls may well be participants; it is a preventative course.”
Participants are initially assessed for their current levels of lower leg strength and their falls risk. This is then reassessed at the end of the course. Follow-up support is provided in the form of a Green Prescription, which provides motivation for continuing physical activity and helping people keep on track. “We also monitor any falls or injuries suffered since attending the course,” says Glenis. “So far the results are outstanding.”
Ross MacKay says he is surprised how challenging the course is for someone like himself who has always been naturally fit.
“It’s good and it’s making me work,” he says.
Anyone interested in the next courses, which begin 24 February and 19 May next year, can contact Golden Bay Physiotherapy to enrol now. Phone 525 9708, fax 525 8254, or email GoldenBayPhysio@slingshot.co.nz.
Jane Bellerby
