A Matter of Balance

National Program developed by the Administration on Aging

The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, the Seniors Council, and Village Santa Cruz have teamed up to increase safety and prevent falls for local seniors.

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans. In Santa Cruz County, Senior Programs Service Providers have joined forces to offer free and low cost opportunities to participate in “A Matter of Balance” Workshops.

A Matter of Balance, a National Program developed by the Administration on Aging, is designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults.

The Seniors Council brought their inaugural workshop series to a close on Friday, September 22 with twelve participants successfully completing the four-week course. During the course participants had the opportunity to set realistic goals to increase activity, learn how change their environment to reduce fall risk factors, and to practice simple exercises to increase strength and balance.

“Falls prevention education can be life-changing, not just for the older adults that participate in these events, but for their loved ones, and even our community,” states Seniors Council Program Coordinator Gus Ceballos.

“It was wonderful to see the confidence and sense of balance grow amongst participants in the class. We look forward to working with more seniors in the coming months,” continues Ceballos.

Senior Programs Staff with the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County will launch the next round of workshops starting on October 17. Classes will be held twice a week at the Live Oak Senior Center (Tues./Thurs.) for 4 weeks from 9:30 -11:30AM.

“We are proud to lead these workshops as part of our year-round commitment to supporting older adults in Santa Cruz County,” states Volunteer Center Senior Programs Coordinator Tara Ireland.

“Our goal with all of our Senior Program Services is to support seniors in maintaining their independence and connection to community. We know that many older adults have concerns and anxiety about falling and because of this begin to restrict their activities. We are excited to offer A Matter of Balance as a way to increase senior confidence and safety,” continues Ireland.

Seniors who are concerned about falls, have fallen in the past, or who are interested in improving their balance, flexibility or strength are encouraged to attend this free workshop series.

Individuals interested in registering or learning more can contact Lisa Macon at 831-427-5070 or visit https://scvolunteercenter.org/events-2/matter-of-balance-workshops/

The deadline to register for the next Matter of Balance Workshop is October 10.

The schedule of all community workshops will be listed on the Volunteer Center website as they become available this fall. Additional workshops are in the works for November, December 2017 and January 2018.