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Sept. 23 is Falls Prevention Awareness Day

Carly Rietmann
My View

Today is recognized nationally as Falls Prevention Awareness Day. With much talk about the growing senior population in Eagle County, it is important to help support our wiser generation to live healthy, happy, independent lives for as long as possible. Nationally, falls remain the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older Americans. According to the National Council on Aging, in 2009 more than 20,000 older Americans died from injuries related to unintentional falls.

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Falls are a major public health concern and prevention is key. To address this issue locally, the Eagle County Department of Public Health and Environment’s Healthy Aging Program offers various falls prevention programs throughout the valley to help our 55 and older population and those with balance concerns prevent falls before they happen through a project called Well and Wise. This is a collaborative program between Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties and the Consortium for Older Adult Wellness and is supported through a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation. To date, more than 30 instructors have been trained to bring community-based, evidence-based falls prevention classes to adults in our three county region and more than 200 participants have benefited from taking part in a class.

Classes that are regularly available throughout Eagle County include Matter of Balance, N’ Balance and Tai Chi for Health and offer something for everyone no matter the age or ability level.

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As the demographics of the county begin to shift, there are more and more services becoming available for older adults to live long, healthy independent lives in our community for as long as they wish to do so.

For more information on senior services in the valley, please call Eagle County Healthy Aging at 970-328-8896.


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