FallProof!: A Comprehensive Balance and Mobility Training Program / Edition 2

by Debra J. Rose

Overview

Balance and mobility disorders resulting in falls among the elderly population pose a serious public health problem in the United States. Costs associated with falls among the elderly are estimated to range from $75 billion to $100 billion. Coupling this statistic with the fact that adults over the age of 65 represent the fastest-growing population in the United States suggests an immediate need for activity programs specifically designed to reduce physical frailty and the rising incidence of falls among the older adult population. FallProof! is the first comprehensive and structured balance and mobility training program to address these needs.

Traditionally, exercise programs designed to address physical frailty and falls have adopted one-dimensional approaches of aerobic exercise, resistance training, or flexibility training. However, research has shown that falls occur as a result of multiple risk factors, both internal and external, and the interplay of multiple body systems. FallProof! presents a multidimensional approach that systematically manipulates the individual's internal capabilities, the goals of the task being performed, and the environment in which the task is performed. This approach has been field tested with considerable success by fitness instructors and rehabilitative specialists working in a range of instructional settings.

FallProof! offers the following benefits:

• Flexibility. Program participants can engage in group activities that takeinto account their individual abilities so that the program is not too easy or too difficult for them.
• Guidance. FallProof! illustrates the easiest and safest ways to present each of the program's exercise components, addressing issues from safety concerns to the best ways to offer feedback to participants.
• Supplemental materials. Reproducible health, assessment, and safety
questionnaires help program instructors gather crucial information and save time and energy.
• Results. The FallProof! program has been proven to reduce the risk of falling in participants who've completed one or more rotations of the program.

FallProof! is divided into three parts. Part I provides an introduction to the body systems that contribute to balance and mobility and common age-related changes occurring in each of these systems. It also identifies the multifactorial causes of falls and describes the common medical conditions (arthritis, joint replacement surgery, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes) and medications known to adversely affect balance and mobility. Part II provides suggestions on balance assessments and details the core program. And finally, Part III describes how to incorporate contemporary motor learning principles to foster optimal learning, develop lesson plans, organize the classroom environment for optimal safety and efficiency, and communicate with program participants.

FallProof! is a practical manual that blends the latest theory into practical applications. It will prove a valuable resource for physical activity instructors and health care professionals working with older adults in physical activity settings, and it will also be helpful for

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900736067477
Publisher:	Human Kinetics Publishers
Publication date:	12/02/2009
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Debra Rose, PhD, is a professor in the division of kinesiology and health science and director of the Center for Successful Aging at California State University at Fullerton. She also serves as codirector of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence at the University of Southern California. Her primary research focus is on the enhancement of mobility and the prevention of falls in later years.

Dr. Rose is nationally and internationally recognized for her work in assessment and programming for fall risk reduction. Her research in fall risk reduction in the elderly has been published in numerous peer-reviewed publications, including the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurology Report, and the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. She was an expert contributor to the Global Report on Falls Prevention inOlder Age published by the World Health Organization in 2007.

The innovative fall risk reduction program she developed and describes in this manual was recognized by the Health Promotion Institute of the National Council on Aging (NCOA) in 2006 as a “Best Practice” program in health promotion. This program is currently being implemented in numerous community-based settings and retirement communities throughout the United States. The NCOA also awarded Debra the Molly Mettler award for Leadership in Health Promotion for her work in the area of fall risk reduction in 2007.

Debra is a fellow of the Research Consortium of AAHPERD, a fellow of the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, former executive board member of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, and past editor in chief of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.

Table of Contents

Preface
Dedication
Acknowledgments

Part I The Theory Behind the Program

Chapter 1 Understanding Balance and Mobility
Important Terminology
Movement Strategies Used to Control Balance
Multiple Systems Contribute to Balance and Mobility
Age-Associated Changes in the Systems Contributing to Balance and Mobility
Case Study: Ms. Jane Gain
Case Study: Mr. Bill Divine
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 2 Why Do Many Older Adults Fall?
Multiple Factors Cause Falls
Effects of Common Medical Conditions
Effect of Medication Use on Balance and Mobility
Are the Risks the Same for All Older Adults?
Practical Implications for Program Planning
Summary
Internet Resources
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Part II FallProof Program for Improving Balance and Mobility

Chapter 3 Screening and Assessment
Why Screening and Assessment Matters
How to Assess Older Adults With Balance and Mobility Disorders
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 4 Center of Gravity (COG) Control Training
Seated Balance Activities
Culminating Activities
Summary
Standing Balance Activities
Increasing the Level of Balance Challenge
Culminating Activities for Standing Balance Activities
Floor-to-Standing Transfers
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 5 Multisensory Training
Forcing the Use of the Somatosensory System to Control Balance
Forcing the Use of the Visual System for Controlling Balance
Forcing the Use of the Vestibular System for the Control of Balance
Eye-Head Coordination Exercises
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 6 Postural Strategy Training
Training the Three Major Postural Strategies
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 7 Gait Pattern Enhancement and Variation Training
Overview of the Gait Cycle
Mechanisms Controlling Gait
Age-Associated Changes in Gait
Effect of Pathology on the Gait Pattern
Gait Pattern Enhancement and Variation Training
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 8 Muscle Strength and Endurance
Selected Upper Body Strength and Endurance Exercises
Selected Lower Body Strength and Endurance Exercises
Selected Foot and Toe Strengthening Exercises
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 9 Flexibility Training
Selected Neck and Upper Body Flexibility Exercises
Selected Lower Body Flexibility Exercises
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Part III Implementing the FallProof Program

Chapter 10 Setting the Stage for Learning
Understanding the Stages of learning
Introducing the Skill to be Learned
Identifying and Correcting Errors in Performance
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

Chapter 11 Program Planning and Class Management Techniques
Following the Initial Assessment
Before Each Class Session
During each Class Session
Between Class Sessions
After each Follow-Up Assessment
Communicating with Class Participants
Summary
Test Your Understanding
Practical Problems

References
Index
About the Author

Interviews

Reference for exercise specialists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and recreational therapists working with older adults in community-based centers or rehabilitation settings. Text for upper-undergraduate, graduate, and certification courses in balance and mobility training, assessment, and programming for older adults.

Editorial Reviews

3 Stars from Doody