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United Church Homes (UCH) has received a $275,750 grant from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to implement and evaluate a fall prevention program across its network of more than 75 affordable housing communities. The organization is one of 18 nationwide selected for this award.
Falls are a significant health risk for older adults in the United States, remaining the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among this population, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. UCH’s two-year initiative seeks to address this issue with evidence-based programming that aims to build strength, educate residents, and reduce fear related to falls.
The initiative will introduce two programs developed by UCH staff: Stay Strong, a fitness program designed to improve strength and balance; and Steady Steps, which offers educational and social engagement activities focused on fall risk awareness.
“Stay Strong is the exercise piece, and Steady Steps will focus on the education side,” said Rachel Harmon, director of Quality and Community Services with UCH. “We’ll be live streaming the exercise class from one of our buildings, where some of our residents will be working out and other residents in other buildings can follow along on video. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Both programs will be delivered through live virtual sessions via UCH’s YouTube channel. More than 3,000 older adults are expected to participate. Licensed physical therapists, service coordinators, and resident ambassadors will work together in leading these efforts.
Data collection is also part of the project design. Pre- and post-surveys will track outcomes following participation in these activities. “We are doing this not only to reduce our residents’ anxiety about falls, and help them prevent falls in their homes, but through the research process we’ll be collecting data that will help others down the road,” Harmon added.
“We are honored to receive this grant to address the critical issue of falls prevention for our affordable housing residents,” said Ken Young, president and CEO of United Church Homes. “This funding allows us to implement innovative strategies that will enhance the safety and quality of life for older adults. We are proud to be among a select group of organizations recognized for this important work.”
The new programming is set to launch in the fall. United Church Homes serves more than 7,000 older adults across its communities nationwide.
