Injury is identified as a national health priority in Australia. Falls are by the far the most common cause of injuries for elderly Australians with approximately one in every three Australians aged 65 and over suffering from one or more falls each year.

The aging population in Australia is rapidly expanding. The total number of the elderly aged 65 and over was 2.4 million in 2001, and is expected to increase to 4.2 million in 2022.

At the risk of sounding a touch scientific, balance control is dependent upon visual, vestibular, proprioceptive and reflexive feedback and voluntary muscle responses. Aging is associated with the decline in functional capacity of sensory and musculoskeletal systems, thus predisposing the elderly to the risk of falls.

Among the major risk factor for falls is sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity, which is directly associated with muscle weakness, stiffness around the joints, poor balance and mobility, lack of movement coordination, poor toe clearance and low bone density.
 
Research shows physical exercises incorporating strength and balance training can improve the performance of some of the falls risk indicators.

There is overwhelming evidence suggesting that Tai Chi is particularly effective in reducing falls risk.

The Tai Chi for Health & Falls Prevention Program is designed to effectively remove such a barrier and enable the public to access Tai Chi as a safe, effective and evidence-based falls prevention strategy.

The program is jointly developed by Professor Fred Ehrlich, a leading gerontologist at the University of New South Wales, Dr Henry Zheng, a research fellow at the Centre of Health Initiatives, the University of Wollongong, and Alice Yuan, a leading international Tai Chi expert at Exercise Medicine Australia.  

The Tai Chi for Health and Falls Prevention Program is designed as a modified, safe, and  targeted exercise intervention program to tackle the major physical, psychological, and social risk factors of falls and prevent falls.

With special modification, the Tai Chi for Health & Falls Prevention Program aims to effectively increase muscle strength, maintain bone mass, increase mobility, flexibility and coordination, improve dynamic  balance and postural control, improve toe clearance and reaction time, increase mental alertness, boost confidence and overcome anxiety and the fear of falling.
 
Exercise Medicine Australia has been conducting regional and national training workshops, including those at the Port Douglas Neighbourhood Centre.

If you'd like to find out more about the program, contact the Neighbourhood Centre on 4099 5518.