KNPE professor working
with panel to reduce risk
of falls for U.S. elderly

by Mark McGowan

Pamela “Pommy” Macfarlane, a professor in NIU’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, is among the national panel of experts behind a new action plan to prevent falls for older adults.

“We have to get the word out that falls are preventable and not a natural consequence of getting older,” Macfarlane said. “Activity and mobility programs have a very clear association with lowering the risk of falls, even in frail people.”

Released in March, the “Falls Free: Promoting A National Falls Prevention Action Plan” initiative addresses the challenges and barriers related to a national falls prevention project.

It also outlines key strategies and action steps to help reduce fall dangers. Among them: developing a public policy agenda to promote falls prevention in the United States, conducting a strategically placed consumer education campaign to boost awareness of falls risks associated with medication use and increasing the number of adults who have an annual medication review.

“This is really something we need to start implementing and working on as a country,” Macfarlane said. “One-third of older adults are falling each year, and the cost is humongous. The dollar cost to the individual and society is large, but the biggest cost, as I see it, is to the quality of life for the person who falls or is scared of falling.”

About 12,800 people age 65 and older died from falls in 2002, causing about 38 percent of all unintentional injury deaths among the elderly. About 1.64 million senior citizens were treated in U.S. hospitals emergency departments for non-fatal falls. Those numbers translate to one death and 183 injuries each hour.

By 2020, according to a study cited by the National Council on the Aging, the cost of fall injuries for people 65 and older would reach $43.8 billion (in current dollars).

Macfarlane participated in a two-day conference in December where she and a few dozen others drafted the plan. Macfarlane was the national representative for the American Association for Active Lifestyles and Fitness.

The summit was sponsored by the National Council on the Aging, the Archstone Foundation and the Home Safety Council. The Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control has provided additional funding support for the publication of the action plan.

More information is available online at www.healthyagingprograms.org.

Macfarlane was a natural fit for the summit. She has operated an exercise program at Oak Crest Retirement Center for the last six of its 17 years, modeling it after observing a balance clinic in California and after implementing an 18-week program in her native South Africa.

Its focus includes balance challenges, walking skills and strength.

Mobility is emphasized because older adults lose strength and balance, putting them at risk for all activities. Mobility training can restore some loss and stop further deterioration, allowing an active and safe lifestyle. Heart-healthy and flexibility activities also are included but are secondary because mobility is necessary for such exercise.

Oak Crest funds a graduate assistantship and provides the facility while Macfarlane’s department provides the program administration, equipment and supervision of the students who are earning academic credit for their three hours of weekly participation.

Many of the students are working on bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology and exercise physiology and are destined for careers in prevention and rehabilitation as well as athletic training. The program also welcomes NIU gerontology students, who learn the ropes from kinesiology majors before starting individual work with the seniors.

The program won the 2003 Excellence in Programming Award from the Council on Aging and Adult Development of the American Association for Active Lifestyles and Fitness in recognition of programs promoting, advocating and encouraging physical fitness, wellness and the importance of seniors remaining active throughout their lives.

“We need to do a better job teaching people,” Macfarlane said of the national action plan. “Agility, balance and strength are all designed to help prevent older adults from going to the ground.”

4-11-05