Fear of Falling:
A Matter of Balance

Matter of Balance Video and Manual

“Matter of Balance” products include a 140-page facilitator manual and a 17-minute video entitled “Fear of Falling.” Both the MOB manual and videotape provide step-by-step implementation guide for practitioners and providers in both clinical and community settings.

Manual

Fear of falling has been recognized as common among older adults, including those who have not experienced a fall. Older people often restrict their activities because they think it will reduce risk of falls. In actuality this restricted activity can lead to physical deconditioning which can increase fall risk. A group program developed by the Boston University Roybal Center Consortium uses cognitive restructuring techniques and skills training to change perceptions and behaviors in older adults whose activity levels have been limited by their fears about falling. The program has been implemented successfully by senior centers, senior housing sites, hospitals, and home health agencies. A Facilitator's Manual and videotape provide a step-by-step implementation guide for practitioners and providers in clinical and community sites. Sessions include:

  Session 1: Introduction to the Program
  Session 2: Exploring Thoughts and Concerns About Falling
  Session 3: Exercise and Fall Prevention
  Session 4: Assertiveness and Fall Prevention
  Session 5: Managing Concerns About Falling
  Session 6: Recognizing Fall-ty Habits
  Session 7: Recognizing Fall Hazards in the Home and Community
  Session 8: Practicing No Fall-ty Habits
  Session 9: Fall Prevention: Putting It All Together
 

"Fear of Falling: It's a Matter of Balance" interviews and examines a group of elders on common thoughts and fears about physical activity that lead to inactivity and contribute to the aging related disablement processes that lower the quality of life in functionally impaired elders. The seniors in the video talk about challenges they faced in recovering and maintaining their functional independence and strategies they use to fight the physical and psychological barriers to maintaining a healthy level of activity into old age.

The Fear of Falling videotape is half of an award winning tandem of educational videos used in the center's cognitive/behavioral intervention study, "Fear of Falling." The video has received the Finalist Award from the 16th Annual Telly Awards and the Finalist Award from the 1995 International Health and Medical Film Festival.