LEWISBURG, Pa. — Seniors inside the Lewisburg YMCA at the Miller Center watch a video about how to prevent themselves from falling and getting seriously injured. The YMCA and the Union-Snyder Agency on Aging are offering a new, free fitness program called 'A Matter of Balance.'
And we've just gotten together this group of 12 people is what we can have in the class, and in just hopes that they can work together as a group and get over that fear of falling, learn how to get up safely, and just work on exercises to help with flexibility and balance," said Olivia Conklin, personal trainer at the Lewisburg YMCA.
Seniors will meet for two-hour sessions on Monday's and Wednesday's now through September 4th for lectures and learning exercises to help improve their balance.
"By the end of the class we're hoping that they will have improved and we're gonna get some stuff from them that they've learned and hopes to run the class again and then at the second to last session we actually have an occupational therapist coming in to give a lecture to the whole group about the proper way to get up from a fall, also some statistics and things about falling and the fear of falling for older adults," said Conklin.
Dixie Powell from Milton tells us she decided to sign up for the program since she's fallen before.
"I keep going, I don't stop but like she said—you know and if I walk any big distance, I have a little metal cane, but it has a little seat, and I can straddle that and I thought I'll never use this—it's great."
Olivia Conklin is a personal trainer at the Lewisburg YMCA. She says it's crucial for seniors to improve their balance, so they don't end up in the hospital or nursing home with a fall injury.
"It's just very important to learn exercise and balance being able to incorporate it in their daily life in the hopes that they can change their fear of falling, learn their exercises to do, and really just work together as a community to help reduce the number of falls statistic wise."
The Lewisburg YMCA hopes to hold another 'A matter of Balance' program in November.