Reducing the incidence of falls among a geriatric population: Health education & tai chi pilot study

Tai Chi has been widely publicized in health promotion literature as an effective intervention to reduce the incidence of falls among a geriatric population. Our fall prevention program was initiated to address the high volume of falls, trended from January 2011 to March 2012, within one of our geriatric healthcare centers in East Los Angeles. We examined the effectiveness of using Tai Chi exercise to reduce the incidence of falls among older adult participants. The intervention consisted of a 30-minute session offered twice a week for six months. Classes were provided by a health educator (trained in Tai Chi). Each session was conducted with musical accompaniment and incorporated a brief health education message. There were two primary cohorts that were monitored during the program's implementation. One cohort known as the “History of Fall Group,” included participants who reported falling (one or more times) within the last six months prior to Tai Chi program start date and/or demonstrated a low Berg Balance Score. The second group, known as the “History of No Fall Group” included any participant with no history of fall who was able and willing to attend the Tai Chi class. We tracked and analyzed class attendance, pre and post berg balance scores as well as the number of reported falls. We concluded that Tai Chi not only reduced the incidence of falls among older adult participants, it also led to increased motivation to engage in more physical activity and a healthier psycho-emotional wellbeing.