A Matter of Balance
A Matter of Balance provides practical strategies to reduce your fear of falling and increase your activity levels. Participants learn to view falls and fear of falling as controllable, set realistic goals to increase activity, change your environment to reduce fall risk factors, and exercise to increase strength and balance. This class meets for eight, two-hour sessions and is led by 2 trained coaches.
What Participants Say:
- 97% Feel comfortable increasing activity
- 99% Plan to continue exercising
- 97% Are more comfortable talking about fear of falling
- 98% Would recommend A Matter of Balance class
Next Steps:
(1) Find a workshop to join at www.yourjuniper.org.
(2) Host a workshop at your organization in partnership with Faith Community Nurse Network.
(3) Become a leader! Find out more!
Program History
The original program, A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls, was developed and evaluated by the Roybal Center for Enhancement of Late-Life Function at Boston University, with a grant from the National Institute on Aging. Under the original model, a health care professional - frequently a nurse or physical therapist - delivered the program.
In October 2003, MaineHealth's Partnership for Healthy Aging, Southern Maine Agency on Aging, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center's geriatric medicine team and the University of Southern Maine received grant funding from the Administration on Aging to translate A Matter of Balance into a program that uses volunteer lay leaders instead of health care professionals to deliver the Matter of Balance class. This lay leader model reduces the cost to deliver the program. Therefore, it can be offered more frequently, reaching a significantly higher number of older adults.
MaineHealth provides master trainer training sessions that prepare organizations to offer A Matter of Balance in their communities. Master trainers are responsible for teaching the Matter of Balance curriculum to coaches and providing them with guidance and support as they lead the Matter of Balance classes.
The Matter of Balance Volunteer Lay Leader Model has proven to be as effective as the original program. Significant improvements for participants were found regarding their levels of falls efficacy, falls management, falls control, exercise and social limitations with regard to concerns about falling.
This model was distributed and evaluated throughout the state of Maine. The collaborative developed a structured tool kit and curriculum as part of a master trainer program. Organizations can be licensed as master trainer sites to train coaches and implement the program in their communities. A Matter of Balance is now offered in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and British Columbia, Canada.