FALL PREVENTION PROGRAMS FOR RURAL COMMUNITY DWELLING OLDER ADULTS RESULTS IN IMPROVED BALANCE

More than one in four older adults (OA) in the US fall each year and 20 to 30% suffer moderate to severe injuries such as head trauma or hip fractures. Falls are both a medical and financial burden that can be significantly reduced by lifestyle interventions. One of the main strategies to help reduce these statistics is evidence-based fall prevention classes which help to build muscle, improve balance, and increase participants’ confidence in fall control. A goal of the Arkansas Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (HRSA grant U1QHP28723) is to deliver community-based programs that improve health outcomes and quality of life. Evidence-based preventive health training is a major way to meet this goal. Two of these evidence-based trainings are Tai Chi (TC) and A Matter of Balance (AMOB), multi-week classes that help to improve balance and reduce fall risk. This study took place at scheduled community-based classes, where demographic and balance data were obtained. The aim was to determine the difference in the balance of community-dwelling OA as measured by Balance Tracking System® before and after AMOB and TC courses. Both groups showed positive changes in their mean balance percentage with the AMOB class having a higher Mean ± SD (24.3 ± 21.0) vs. the TC participants (4.0 ± 29.7). The One-Way Analysis of Variance showed statistically significant difference in the AMOB class over those in the TC class, F (1, 32) = 5.280, p < 0.05. The Cohen’s d = 0.789 indicates a large effect between the two groups.