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Stepping On

Maintaining one’s health and independence are important parts of healthy aging. Falls and fall injuries are more common than strokes and can result in health problems that are just as serious. That is why Hancock County Health Center's Rehabilitation Department is offering Stepping On, a fall and injury prevention program.

Stepping On workshops will be held two hours a week for seven weeks at Hancock County Health System's Wellness Center, located with the HCHS hospital, 532 1st Street NW, Britt.  They will be led by a HCHS health professional with an expertise in rehabilitation services.

"About 30 percent of older people who fall lose their self-confidence and start to go out less often. Inactivity leads to loss of muscle strength and balance, increasing the risk of falling even further. Stepping On's goal is to help prevent falls and keep people independent as long as possible," said Dawn Heetland, Director of HCHS Rehabilitation Services.

Classes are highly participative and support building participants’ confidence in their ability to manage their health and reduce their risk of falls.

During the course of the program participants will learn:

  • Simple and fun balance and strength training
  • The role vision plays in helping maintain balance
  • How medications can contribute to falls
  • Ways to stay safe when out and about in the community
  • What to look for in safe footwear
  • How to check home for safety.

A home visit or follow-up phone call by the program leader to facilitate a follow-through with preventative strategies to assist with home adaptations also is part of the program.

Those who are recommended to participate are people, age 60 and older, who are at risk of falling, have a fear or falling and/or those who have fallen one or more times.

 The Stepping On Program is suitable for seniors who live in their home or independent apartment; can walk without the help of another person; do not use a walker, scooter or wheelchair most of the time indoors; and are cognitively intact.

HCHS holds sessions in the Spring (April - May) and in the Fall (September – October). Call for exact dates and more details: 641-843-5500.

The program costs $75 per participant; however, there financial assistance is available for those 60 and older from the Elderbridge Agency on Aging.