SAIL exercise program at next Skeleton Crew meeting on Sept. 9
DEXTER — The third week in September marks the National Council on Aging’s Falls Prevention Week. During that week a number of awareness activities, to be announced at a later date, will take place in Dexter and throughout Piscataquis County. An event kickoff will be Marcy King’s presentation about Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) exercise program. This event will take place at the Abbott Memorial Library on Friday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. as part of the Skeleton Crew’s new-season series of free educational programs.
Contributed photo
STAYING ACTIVE TO HELP PREVENT FALLS — Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) exercise program instructor Marcy King, front, recently lead a session of the program which included — second row from left — Donna Lagasse, Harold Wheeler and Mary Lou Wheeler and, back, Darcy Dumont, Joyce Dunham, Sharon Cole and Patty Martin. King will be speaking about the SAIL exercise program during the Sept. 9 meeting of the Skeleton Crew, at 1 p.m. at the Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter to kick off the National Council on Aging’s Falls Prevention Week.
Thirty-three percent of Americans 65-plus years of age fall each year. That is an astounding number if you consider that falls result in 21,700 deaths, 734,000 hospitalizations and 2.5 million injuries treated in emergency rooms. Falls are the leading cause of injury death for seniors, and if death doesn’t occur the quality of life for an older adult can be significantly limited following a fall. Even if unhurt after a fall, fear of falling will impact a person’s approach to daily activities leaving them overly cautious. Physical and mental decline, social isolation and depression often follow.
Raising awareness of the issue and providing information about how to prevent falls has become a nation-wide initiative to keep people safe, healthy and thriving at home. Beyond environmental modifications, such as railings, increased lighting, vision and hearing corrections and medication adjustments, the single-most successful way to decrease falls is to engage in moderate, age-appropriate exercise to increase strength, range of motion and balance.
The SAIL exercise program meets the highest standard as an approved physical activity program and is endorsed by the National Council on Aging. It was developed by researchers from the Washington State Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Training to teach the course is made available to instructors throughout the U.S. It is designed to be a community-based program made available at senior centers, fitness centers, medical facilities, recreation and community centers, churches, schools, senior housing, assisted living centers, schools and other approved sites.
King began teaching the SAIL program in the winter of 2016 funded by Piscataquis County’s Thriving in Place (TIP) Collaboration — Dexter residents are receivers of TIP services. As a TIP collaborative partner and a person interested in the Dexter community, I suggested that King become trained and offer the SAIL program to Dexter-area seniors. Following training, TIP offered collaboration funding. King has successfully offered SAIL with TIP’s Community Engagement’s funding twice to get the program off the ground.
The Millside Fitness Center will fund the upcoming eight-week class, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 to seniors 60-plus years of age free of charge. Classes are once a week on Tuesdays for an hour at 10 a.m at the Dexter Town Hall. As a bonus, class participants can experience “open gym” on Thursdays during September from 9-11 a.m. at Millside Fitness free of charge.
Come hear King tell you how the SAIL program can help your balance so that you can prevent a fall. Free celebration cake, herbal bone tea and gluten-sugar-dairy-free refreshments will be served.
The Skeleton Crew is dedicated to helping older adults build and preserve their bones, but people of all ages are invited to attend. Call Liz at the library (924-7292) for more information.