Falls risk screening is this week at Bogalusa Senior Center
BOGALUSA - As people get older they tend to lose some mobility, balance and even eyesight, all of which can put them at an increased risk of falling. And a fall can be especially serious for someone in his or her declining years.
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Nancy McBeth, WPCOA director, said it's a good idea for people to get screened.
"Falls can be preventable," she said. "If you know what your risks are and what your habits are that may be contributing to the risk, they can be prevented.
"As we all know, if an old person falls it can be terrible and lead to complications that can be really difficult to get over, especially if they break bones. The COA likes to focus on prevention."
The LSU team has been providing the local screenings for three years, said McBeth.
"It's a graduate program, and we got in on the ground floor," she said. "The data collected here will be part of a study. Once the students get through, we hope they will train our staff to do the screenings in-house so we can offer them on an ongoing basis as part of the center."
That could even include risk assessments of individuals' homes, she said.
The screenings Wednesday will include physical mobility and balance, vision, medication and health history, physical activity and fear of falling assessments. Participants will receive personal "report cards" outlining their determined risks of falling, plus educational materials about how they might reduce the risk.
The WPCOA is located in the Bogalusa Senior Center, east of Cassidy Park on Willis Avenue.
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