Utah County Health Department offers fall prevention class

Meals-on-Wheels volunteers not only deliver meals, but they offer a daily safety check on seniors in their homes. This safety check is simple: volunteers make sure the client is okay. This daily check can be life saving. Volunteers have been able to find clients who have recently fallen or those in need of serious medical assistance.

Last week, The Salt Lake Tribune reported about a 99-year-old woman who was stuck in her bathtub for more than 22 hours after slipping and falling. After missing several calls from her family, she survived from the painful ordeal by reciting poetry and prayer.

As dismal as it sounds, this is a reality for many seniors. Falls are the number one way seniors sustain injuries.

In January, Utah County Health Department will offer a solution: Stepping On, a FREE fall prevention class to help seniors avoid falls. The workshop meets for two hours a week for seven weeks in Lehi and American Fork. For more information, call Carrie Bennett at (801) 851-7035 or read The Daily Herald's recent article about the program.