Enhancing Elderly Wellbeing: Falls Prevention Program in Retirement Center

In this document we will discuss about Enhancing Elderly Wellbeing and below are the summary points of this document:- Falls prevention program for elderly in a retirement home in Calgary Program includes gait and balance improvement, fall hazard identification, and medication review Regular physical exercise can improve mobility, balance, and reduce fall-related injuries in the elderly

Running head: EXERCISE PROGRAM IN RETIREMENT CENTER
Medical Program Study
- Exercise Program in Retirement Center
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
The following essay is an analysis of a falls prevention program for the elderly in a
retirement home setup in Calgary. The program is aimed towards a group of 40 elderly
people above 65 years of age. The program is delivered by Bayshore healthcare, involving a
team of healthcare specialists working with the clients to improve their gait and balance,
identify fall hazards in the environment and review medications of the clients to assess their
side effects and potential to increase fall risks. The class involves instructors and educators as
well as registered nurses working with elderly people to develop an exercise plan and led by a
senior coordinator (bayshore.ca, 2019a, 2019b).
Background:
-Contemporary issues of aging
The process of aging can increase the risks of several health conditions that can affect
the health and wellbeing of the individuals. This can include chronic health problems such as
obesity, diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases and problems with vision (Blackburn et
al., 2015). Each of this condition additionally increases risks of other co-morbid conditions
and further reduces the health and wellbeing of the elderly people. Aging can also affect the
cognitive and mental health of the people and increase risks of several mental health
conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s (Swift et al., 2017). The conditions can
moreover cause weakening of the muscles and neuro-muscular dysfunction which can reduce
the gait and balance and thus increase risks of falling and fall related injuries (Matsuda et al.,
2015). Moreover, the ageing process also slows down the body’s healing system and thus
affects recovery from injuries or diseases (Iluz et al., 2015; Sun et al., 2016).
-How physical activity enhance the lives of elderly

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Studies have shown that regular physical exercises can protect the elderly people from
a number of health risks (Runge et al., 2018). According to Gschwind et al. (2015) and
Sherrington et al. (2017), regular exercise can improve the mobility, balance and gait of the
elderly and improve the neuromuscular coordination and muscle strength and thus reduce
risks of fall related injuries. Exercise can also help to prevent obesity, diabetes and its related
co morbidities (Agrawal et al., 2018). Community based physical activity programs moreover
can also help to reduce the risks of depression among elderly and foster participation in group
activities and thus reduce the risks of mental health problems among them (Barha et al.,
2017).
-Risk and functional assessments
One of the most significant risks among the elderly is the risk of accidental injuries
due to falling. To prevent or minimize the risks of falling, it is vital to assess the gait and
balance of the elderly to understand if they are facing any difficulty in movement (Agrawal et
al., 2018). Ability of the patients to conduct their daily activities can also be used to assess
their ability to move.
-Services for elderly citizens
The organization provides several services for the elderly such as personal care
services, medical services at home and dementia care services. These services can be
provided at a community or residential setup (bayshore.ca 2019a, 2019b).
-Exercise prescriptions
The exercise prescribed for the patients in the given program includes a daily
moderate to intense exercise routine for 20 to 30 minutes, regular walking exercises.
-Special needs for the aged

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The elderly patients have several special needs due to the effects of ageing on their
physical and mental health. These needs include physical, emotional, psychological and
spiritual.
(bayshore.ca 2019a, 2019b)
Discussion:
-Gendered Experiences
The program would be delivered to both male and female participants together and
therefore will not provide different gendered experience to the clients. Instead, the program
will be tailored to suit both male and female clients and delivered to all the participants in a
group within the residential facility (Swift et al., 2017).
-Spatial Analysis
The program would require a large open space for the exercise routines possibly
indoors. The large room can be used to train the elderly clients about the various exercise
routines and include equipments they can use for the exercise. The clients can also be taken
outdoors for walks in the park (Sherrington et al., 2017).
-Power Relations
The training will be delivered by the professional trainers and the healthcare
professionals and social care workers would coordinate between the clients and the trainer,
supporting their care needs.
-Styles of Movement practices
The program would use the following styles of movement practices or somatic:

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Traditional Practice: The traditional approach for movement practice would involve
therapies such as Yoga and Qi-Gong which can help to improve the physical, mental and
spiritual wellbeing of the client and reduce anxiety and stress.
Exercise practices: The exercise practice can include Pilates that can help to improve the
proprioceptive awareness of the clients and reduce the risks of falling by improving the mind
body coordination and mindfulness.
Buddhist Walking Meditation: This would involve both improvement of mobility and
prevention stress among the elderly by improving their somatic perception and control.
(Sherrington et al., 2017; Agrawal et al., 2018)
-Potential cultural issues
The cultural issues that can be faced by the healthcare professionals in the program
include:
Lack of cultural awareness: Since the program can include elderly individuals from a diverse
cultural and social background, understanding of the cultural diversity, it is important to
deliver a culturally competent and responsive care (Cooke & Bartram, 2015).
Stigmatization: Stigmatization of the elderly is a significant challenge that can be faced in the
program, as it leads to the assumption of frailty among the elderly (Horn & Schweppe, 2015).
Language and Communication: Since the process of aging can adversely impact vision and
hearing of the elderly, it can reduce their ability to communicate with others which can be a
challenge for the healthcare workers (Cooke & Bartram, 2015).

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Self Beliefs and Attitudes: The self beliefs and attitudes of the elderly about their own
condition and abilities can also be an impediment since it can affect the perceptions about
their quality of life (Deusdad et al., 2016).
-Class Effects:
The effects of the classes would include improvement in the balance and gait of the
participants, reduction in anxiety and an improved physical and mental wellbeing. The main
aim however would be to reduce the risks of falling among the elderly people (Cooke &
Bartram, 2015).
Conclusion:
With aging, individuals have an increased risk of several physical and mental health
conditions for which the elderly needs special support. One of the biggest problems with
aging is an increased risk of falling and fall related injuries. The risks can be further
accentuated by physical frailty as well as cognitive dysfunction. The falls prevention program
by Bayshore healthcare in Calgary, Canada aims to improve the gait and balance of the
elderly people trough regular exercise routines and thus reduce the risks of falling among
them.

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Shaker, R. (2018). Swallow strength training exercise for elderly: A health
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Barha, C. K., Galea, L. A., Nagamatsu, L. S., Erickson, K. I., & Liu-Ambrose, T. (2017).
Personalising exercise recommendations for brain health: considerations and future
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bayshore.ca (2019a). Bayshore HealthCare. [online] Bayshore HealthCare. Available at:
https://www.bayshore.ca/ [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].
bayshore.ca (2019b). Fall Prevention - Bayshore HealthCare. [online] Bayshore HealthCare.
Available at: https://www.bayshore.ca/services/home-care/fall-prevention/ [Accessed
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