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STRIDE Students Start Fall Prevention Program for Local Seniors

Spring 2016

STRIDE Team Molly and Matt at the Villages Helping Seniors

Residents at The Villages, a senior living community in San Luis Obispo, are piloting a new fall prevention program designed by STRIDE students. Every Monday and Wednesday morning, kinesiology students lead participants in strengthening exercises in hopes of decreasing falls. Seniors face a higher risk of falling because of the physical and cognitive decline that can happen as people age.

The program, started by kinesiology senior and STRIDE special projects coordinator Molly Iwasaki, concentrates on increasing participants’ balance, motor control, walking and strength. 

“I hope to help them decrease their risk of falling while also creating a framework for a STRIDE program for kinesiology students in the future,” said Iwasaki.

During each class, Iwasaki and Assessment Team members practice exercises with the participants, such as moving from sitting to standing and back for 30 seconds. Each 45-minute class ends with a lesson on exercise or health.

Iwasaki started the program in consultation with nutrition professor Kari Pilolla to serve the community while providing opportunities for kinesiology students. Students enrolled in the Kinesiology Department’s Assessment Team course, which requires students to complete 15 hours of service learning, apply their coursework through this program. 

Once the pilot is completed, STRIDE students hope to start collecting pre- and post-participation data to study the effects of the exercises on participants’ strength, motor skills and balance. Iwasaki hopes Assessment Team students will gain research experience through this data collection.

 

 

 

 

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