Resources

Local Exercise Classes for Older Adults

• Fresno/Clovis Older Adult Exercise Classes- Compiled SAFE, Rev February 2015
  A printable list of older adult exercise classes in the Fresno/Clovis area. **We try to keep this as up-to-date as possible so please let us know if a class is no longer offered so we can update our list** Call (559) 2798-7539 with changes to the list.
• Fresno State Physical Therapy's Gait, Balance and Mobility Research and Education Center
  The Department of Physical Therapy offers an 8 week community-based intervention program for people with gait, balance, or mobility problems. The following services are offered: -Complete Balance Evaluation -Screenings for Balance Disorders -Vestibular Clinical Evaluation -Physical Therapy Consultative Services -Community-based Individualized Balance Re-training Program -Gait Program using Partial Body Weight Treadmill Training
• Silver Sneakers Locations
  SilverSneakers is a fun, energizing program that helps older adults take greater control of their health by encouraging physical activity and offering social events. It is covered by most health insurance providers. Contact the location closest to you for more information about signing up and attending classes.
• Clovis Adult Education Online Schedule
  Older adult education starts on page 9. Older Adult students (50yrs. and older) are welcome to attend classes at any facility. In order for Clovis Adult Education to continue to offer the variety of Older Adult classes, a minimum attendance of twenty students per class is required. Program fees range from $15 to $30 per class and are based on length of time and material fees. It is easy to sign up; just go to the class the first week and register at that time, except for computer classes. Please call to be put on a computer class list at 327-2800.
• Fresno Adult School
  Fresno Adult School offers free senior exercise classes. Please view the online schedule or contact them for more information. For most classes, students can simply register with the teacher the first day of class. Some classes require pre-registration; check course offerings for information. Call 457-6000 for further information.
• Tai Chi Center of Fresno
  For more information, please call 559-233-8889 or email them at fresno.tai.chi@gmail.com
• Tai Chi in Visalia/Tulare- Moving for Better Balance, Jeff and Darci Alexander of Tree of Life Tai Chi are certified in research validated Tai Chi forms recognized by the Centers for Disease Control as evidenced based programs for fall prevention. Contact information for class times and locations (559) 732-9438 and LifeTreeTaiChi@gmail.com
• San Joaquin Valley Rehab
  They will perform assessments, design fitness programs for you, and have aquatic exercise classes.
• Tai Chi for Arthritis @ St. Paul Newman Center
  For more information about how to sign up, call (559) 436-3434 or email them at email@csufnewman.com
• Clovis Senior Center Exercise Classes and other resources, call (559) 324-2750
• FallProof Balance and Mobility Instructors (updated October 2012)
• Keep Your Balance Merced County Fall Prevention Programs

General Fall Prevention Information

• SAFE Fall Prevention Risk Factor Self-Checklist
  Use this self-checklist to determine your risk factors for falls. For more detailed risk factor assessment, make an appointment to get your balance assessed by your physician, physical therapist or through SAFE.
• CDC: Falls Among Older Adults
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website explains the need for fall prevention programs using multiple fact sheets.
• STEADI Toolkit for Healthcare Providers
  CDC's Injury Center created the STEADI Tool Kit for health care providers who see older adults in their practice who are at risk of falling or who may have fallen in the past. The STEADI Tool Kit gives health care providers the information and tools they need to assess and address their older patients' fall risk.
• Fall Prevention Center of Excellence
  Their mission is to identify best practices in fall prevention and to help communities offer fall prevention programs to older people who are at risk of falling.
• Preventing Falls and Staying Independent
  American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Fall Prevention Resources -Educational Videos -How to get up from a fall
• Guidelines for Preventing Falls
• Network of Care: Fresno County
  Fall Prevention Education for Seniors and Caregivers
• Debunking the Myths of Older Adult Falls Many people think falls are a normal part of aging. The truth is, they're not. Most falls can be prevented and you have the power to reduce your risk.
• Balance and Mobility: a Medical Information Resource for Balance and Mobility Disorders
• Falling Monologues
  The Falling Monologues is a series of stories reflecting the thoughts, emotions, and lessons learned by some older adults after they've fallen, developed as a creative approach to spark interest and start discussion about fall prevention. Written and directed by Marilyn Faber, the performances are accompanied by commentary from Emily Nabors and Anna Nguyen of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence and Fall Prevention Coalition -- Los Angeles (FPC-LA).
• Older Californians Stand Tall, Avoid Falls
  Article by Associated Press, The California Health Report, about Fall Prevention Programs in California.
• NCOA State Policy Toolkit for Advocating for Falls Prevention 

Home Safety Information

• SAFE Home Safety Checklist
  Make your home safer by reducing tripping hazards, adding grab bars inside and outside the tub or shower and next to the toilet, adding stair railings and improving the lighting in their homes. Use this checklist and go through your home, room by room and update your home to prevent unnecessary falls.
• Lighting the Way: A Key to Independence
  A series of booklets on lighting for older people developed in collaboration between AARP and the Lighting Research Center ( http://www.lrc.rpi.edu).
• Elder Proof Home
• White House Conference on Aging 2015: Home Safety Blog
• Home Remodeling for People with Disabilities: What You Need to Know
• Independent Living: Resources and Funding Strategies for Making Homes Accessible
  
• Home Remodeling and Modifications for People with Special Needs

What To Do If You Fall

• What To Do If You Fall
  Printable PDF with step-by-step instructions, including pictures, about what to do if you have a fall.
• How To Get Up From a Fall

Home Exercise Programs for Seniors

• Consult Your Physican Before Starting an Exercise Program
• Exercises for Persons 60 and Older
  Simple exercises seniors can do at home to keep moving and increase flexibility and strength.
• FallProof Home Exercise DVD ($40 suggested donation for set of 3)
  A progressive set of exercises excerpted from the national award-winning FallProof Balance and Mobility Training Program created by Debra Rose, PhD, at the Center For Successful Aging, California State University, Fullerton.
• Home Exercise Programs (free at balance screening)
  The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence is proud to announce the release of their 3 set exercise brochures. The illustrated booklets each exhibit ten exercises, in large print, that demonstrate how individuals can remain balanced, flexible and able-bodied in order to prevent falls. For maximum usability, the guide is in a calendar format, which allows the user to attach it to any upright surface, so readers can follow along as they train. The three booklets feature simple exercises that older adults can carry out at home.

Senior Falls in the News

• Injuries, Deaths from Falls Increase for Seniors, Sacramento Bee, published in the Fresno Bee on Sunday, January 20th

Fall Prevention Continuing Education Database

• The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence created a database of continuing education classes related to fall prevention (if you would like to add to or update this list, please contact Emily Nabors at emily.nabors@usc.edu

Other Fall Prevention Coalitions

• Stop Falls Network California
• Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative
• Napa Valley Fall Prevention Coalition
• First: Fall Intervention, Reaching Seniors Together
• North Carolina Falls Prevention Coalition

General Senior Health and Wellness Information

 

• Fresno-Madera Area Agency on Aging: We connect you with programs, services, and resources you can use to maintain and improve your quality of life as you age.  Phone: 559-600-4405, Downloadable Resource Guide
• Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging: The Area Agency on Aging is your "one-stop shop" for learning about programs and services available to seniors and their caregivers.  Phone: 1-800-321-2462, Resource Guide
• California Senior Legislature: Their mission is to help preserve and enhance the quality of life for older Californians and their families.  They have a very high success rate with proposals and are very interested in helping to bring fall prevention strategies into law.
• Senior Health Table of Contents
  This page directs you to multiple topic pages regarding senior health
• Senior Consumer Guide on Financial Abuse
  Financial exploitation targeting older adults is a major problem
  that is growing across the United States. Research shows that as
  many as five million older adults are victims of elder abuse each
  year. Financial exploitation, also known as financial abuse, is
  believed to cost seniors an estimated $3 billion annually. It is a
  threat to the health, safety, dignity and independence of vulnerable
  older adults, but you can help prevent it from happening.
• Dictionary of Eldercare Terminology
  Anyone in the field of aging knows it has its own unique language.  Understanding all the shifting terms, however, can be challenge.  At 95, Walter Feldesman, a prominent New York attorney, has released the third edition of his Dictionary of Eldercare Terminology, and he's making it available free through the National Council on Aging (NCOA)
• SeniorHomes.com: Their mission is to help seniors and their families find housing and care for themselves and their loved ones by providing objective information on our website and via our free Care Advisor service.  They also provide information about various senior issues and have an extensive resource list. 
• NIH Senior Health
  

  http://nihseniorhealth.gov/talkingwithyourdoctor/planningyourdoctorvisit/01.html

• Health for Seniors
  https://www.usa.gov/health
• Aging Well: https://www.helpguide.org/home-pages/aging-well.htm
• Senior Road Safety Guide: https://www.trafficsafetystore.com/resources/senior-road-safety-guide

For More Information

Contact the Department of Physical Therapy

Phone: (559) 278-7539