VENTURA, California – The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and the Ventura County Elderly Fall Prevention Coalition’s award-winning Fall Prevention Program has openings for two classes that are beginning in March.
• Walk With Ease – Willett Ranch Community Room in Ventura – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – March 6 through April 18 – 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Stepping On – Oxnard Performing Arts Center – Tuesdays – March 21 through May 2 – 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Classes are designed for individuals 60 and up, and are free. Please click on the PDF for additional information. To register for classes, call the VCAAA at (805) 477-7300, option 6, or email Fall.Prevention.Program@ventura.org.
Walk With Ease is an exercise program that can reduce pain and improve overall health. This is a six-week program developed by the Arthritis Foundation that helps participants create a customized walking plan to stay motivated, manage pain, and exercise safely to stay strong, boost energy, and control weight. Participants walk together three times a week, starting slow and building up to walking for a total of 30 minutes.
Stepping On is designed for individuals who have fallen or who are fearful of falling. Participants have access to a physical therapist who teaches strength and balance exercises, a vision expert, a public safety expert, and a pharmacist who will discuss fall risks associated with certain medications.
Individuals concerned about falls or those who have recently experienced a fall, as well as those who are interested in improving balance, flexibility and strength, are encouraged to participate. Nationally recognized research shows that one in four adults over the age of 65, and half of the population over the age of 75, fall each year. One out of every five falls results in a serious injury, and about three million older people are treated at emergency departments for fall injuries each year. Approximately 32,000 older adults die each year as a result of falls.
