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…participants showed gains in their strength in just six weeks
Letter to the Editor: On behalf of Northwoods Partners, we extend our gratitude to several community partners for their enthusiastic support of our fall prevention program called Stepping On. This evidence-based seven- week program has been instrumental in helping our older adults stay safe and healthy living in their homes. Falls are the leading cause of injury for adults ages 65 and older. An estimated 29.1% of older adults fell in Minnesota in 2023.
Older adult falls are common, costly and preventable. With the help of our community partners: Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital Therapy Department and Pharmacy, Ely Vision Center and Ely Ambulance service we worked together to reduce the risk of 25 older adults in the past 6 months. Several participants have remarked that they did not recognize their risk or were in denial until they attended this program.
One important program component is introducing daily exercises to build leg strength and improve balance. Thanks to the extra support from EBCH Therapists Deb and Kaylee, participants showed gains in their strength in just six weeks. Thank you to Erin Bremner, DO for volunteering his time and expertise to explain the connection between vision and falls, Abby Sirek, PharmD for her talk on medications and Michael Smith, EMT for home safety information.
Northwoods Partners is grateful to these partners for volunteering their time and resources to provide a superb experience locally in our community. It means a lot to all of us – especially our older adult community.
Lisa Porthan, Executive Director Northwoods Partners Ely, MN
