Keep Moving Strong

Improve Your Balance and Avoid Needless Falls

By SALLY WENDKOS OLDS

MCC Member Celeste Carlucci, Fall Stop... Move Strong is pleased to be featured in this article from NYCitywoman. Filled with practical advice, it includes 6 Easy Steps to prevent falls.

In my circle of friends, practically everyone—including me—has fallen recently. One friend hit the floor when the chair she was standing on to reach a high cabinet tipped over. One tripped over a small rug in her apartment. One tumbled downstairs when, wearing her progressive lenses, she could not see the bottom of the staircase. I ended up spread-eagled on a sidewalk when, looking up at the marquee of the theater I was headed to, I caught my toe in a crack in the cement. The ways we fall are varied and the ways to prevent falls are also varied. As we get older our vision changes and our muscles become weaker; these may cause changes in our balance, our bones and our ability to judge distances. Fortunately, we can do a lot to prevent mishaps.

“Reaching your sixties should be a wake-up call,” says Celeste Carlucci, a former dancer and the founder of the fall prevention and strengthening program FallStop…Move Strong™ at the Westside Jewish Community Center. Of course, younger people fall too, but the risks can be greater for people 60 and older. Many of us need to make changes. As much as we may want to look fashionable, we should wear sneakers (See Sneaker Savvy for City Living) or low-heeled shoes with rubber soles when we plan to walk four blocks or more. Also eliminate rugs that slip and slide in your apartment, learn better ways of picking up items from the floor and placing items on high shelves. Make sure your lighting is good. 

Click here for the full article.

UPCOMING Trainer Certification | May 15-16

Are you a trainer ready to create your own fall prevention program? Our next Fall Stop…MOVE STRONG™ Trainer Certification is scheduled for May 15-16 at the JCC in NYC. This training workshop provides step-by-step instructions for learning the evidence-based, doctor-recommended, 10-week Fall Stop...MOVE STRONG™ Program.

Learn more about our TrainerCertification.