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For more Information:

Astra Ng
Communications Coordinator
Office of Marketing & Communications

(740) 351-3148
ang@shawnee.edu

September 18, 2020

Shawnee State University’s Occupational Therapy program and the Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) present “Fall-Free Fridays” until December 4, 2020. September 21-25 is National Falls Prevention Awareness week, a national campaign to educate older adults, their caregivers, and health professionals about the dangers of falling and the steps to prevent falls.

For adults aged 65 and older, falls is still a leading cause of injury, according to the National Council on Aging. Falls threaten older adults’ safety and independence while generating enormous economic and personal costs.

“Fall-Free Fridays” is a live, weekly interview program with two SSU MOT students who will speak about how to prevent a fall, steps to take to reduce a person’s fall risk, and falls-related topics and information. The first weekly interview aired live this past Friday, September 11. Weekly interviews will continue every Friday until December 4th.

“The opportunity for our students to partner with AAA7 to provide health promotion activities to older adults has always been an incredible learning experience,” said Christine Raber, PhD, OTR/L, Professor, Master of OT program at SSU. “We are very excited and grateful that our technology has allowed these real-life experiences to continue, and we are looking forward to helping the community learn about ways to prevent falls”

In the past, AAA7 and SSU’s OT program have worked together to provide other falls prevention education to the community through AAA7’s “Matter of Balance” program. SSU OT students become trained in the program and help to facilitate the course to interested community members in the district as part of their class requirements.

“We often hear that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention” and this pandemic has provided ample opportunity to find new ways to continue to provide services and information to older adults, persons with disabilities and their caregivers,” said Nina R. Keller, Executive Director of AAA7. “We are grateful that SSU’s OT program has joined us in developing and carrying out innovative ways to reach individuals in the community with critical guidance on falls and their prevention. Innovation is key and we value our ongoing partnership with SSU.”

The weekly “Falls-Free Fridays” are available on AAA7’s Facebook page, facebook.com/AreaAgencyOnAgingDistrict7, and at their website aaa7.org. For questions about how to access the virtual education or recording, contact AAA7 at 1-800-582-7277 or email info@aaa7.org.

Your local Area Agency on Aging District 7, Inc. provides services on a non-discriminatory basis. These services are available to help older adults and those with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes through services paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, other federal and state resources, as well as private pay. The AAA7’s Resource Center is also available to anyone in the community looking for information or assistance with long-term care options. Available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

For more information about the different OT programs SSU offers, please visit the Department of Rehabilitation & Sport Professions website, or email Dr. Christine Raber at craber@shawnee.edu.