Authored by Judith Sachs, Anyone Can Move

Reviewed by Kate Roberts, MSW, LSW

Falling Without Injury—How To?

Falling is one of the most significant and life-altering challenges faced by many people as they age. Reduced reaction time, rigidity, and declines in cognitive function are made even worse by poor vision, multiple medications, and distractions. Tripping, balance loss, leg weakness, and poor spatial awareness all contribute to falls.

Specifically, a fall can be defined as an unintentional change in position that results in landing on the ground, floor, or on another lower surface like a bed or chair, or as the result of an overwhelming external force (e.g., being pushed). An intercepted fall occurs when you would have fallen if you had not caught yourself or been intercepted by another person – this is still considered a fall.

Over the age of 65, 1 in 3 individuals fall every year. If you fall and injure yourself, the likelihood of falling again increases with passing years, and as their frequency increases, they become more difficult to predict, assess, and prevent.

A year and a half ago, I collaborated with the Pilobolus Dance Company in Connecticut to create BOUNCE BACK, a program designed, not to prevent falls but to understand and master them. Using principles of dance and martial arts, with big gym mats covering the floor, we teach ways to get on the ground safely and get up, alone or with a partner’s help. We start with balance exercises, learning different stances and ways to shift weight as we stand on a hard surface and then on a mat. We try moving with eyes open and then closed —which adds an extra layer of difficulty. We walk forwards, sideways and backwards, and as we move faster, we develop nimble and articulated steps, imagining a kid zooming toward us on a bike or scooter and getting out of his way. We use vestibular training with a tennis ball to develop better peripheral vision.

We think out of the box about times that falling is actually pleasurable — falling into a pool, or a pile of fall leaves or going down a slide in a playground. In so doing, we take away some of the anxiety about the fact that yes, you are actually going to fall down, and we reduce the fear of what might happen when you do. We aim to think like kindergarteners having a really good time on the floor. But in addition, we offer strategic ways of starting on a chair or seated or kneeling close to the ground to develop skills like tucking the head, torquing to one side and “melting’ instead of falling.

We do recognize that the ability to consciously think and execute a corrective movement during an unexpected fall is often unrealistic. What is achievable, however, is training individuals to get down and up again in multiple ways. Through repetition and improvisation, participants develop familiarity, confidence, and a realistic expectation of success when falls occur.

Please sign up for BOUNCE BACK programs at https://anyonecanmove.com/contact-us