Brian Chisholm knew he had to do something to help himself.
“I did a faceplant in the doctor’s office one day and I ended up with a concussion,” said the 76-year-old Port Moody resident.
The former UBC archeology instructor was dealing with the double whammy of Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer.
“Parkinson’s wasn’t enough,” Chisholm joked in his dry-witted manner.
To help him keep his balance, he joined a Fraser Health Get Up & Go! class at Glen Pine Pavilion in Coquitlam. (Classes are also held at Dogwood Pavilion and Port Coquitlam community centre, and Fraser Health is soliciting interest to start one in Port Moody soon too.)
The class, put on by Fraser Health’s Falls Prevention and Injury Prevention branch, is for seniors who have some mobility but not enough to participate in community activities. Instructor Racquel Barria Li provides tips and exercises to help participants avoid falling and on what to do when they do go down.
“The first time I hit the deck was about 2014. I got tangled up with a garbage bin and ended up on my side on the ground. I’ve had two or three other notable falls and a couple of minor slips,” said Chisholm, who is on his third six-week session of Get Up & Go!
“I have managed to avoid falls as frequently as they were [occurring]," told The Tri-City News. "The incidence has decreased so much. Occasionally I catch myself on the stairs when I’m going up but that’s not as frequent as it used to be. And when I do do it, I don’t end up on my face.”
His wife, Vasana Chinvarakorn, said she has noticed marked improvement in her husband.
“From my observation, one tangible improvement is that it is easier for him to get out of the chair without as much help,” Chinvarakorn said. “It’s been working a lot better, and that also includes getting into the car. Before, I had to help him a lot. I am smaller than Brian and when he can do it himself it’s a blessing.
“It allows me to go out and do some activities without worrying as much about how Brian’s going to cope.”
To which Chisholm quipped, “Yeah, she can ignore me for a while.”
Although Chisholm has "hit the deck" many times, Rose White, 89, has not.
“I’ve never fallen because I’m very, very careful,” said White, who moved to Coquitlam from Mayne Island six years ago to be near her daughter, Sharon Burke.
White uses a walker and a cane to get around, and started taking the classes to avoid what she'd seen happening to others.
“They’re falling all the time in the place I live,” White said. “[The class] just makes me more careful about everything and allows me to be able to do what I can do. I’m more at ease a little bit.”
Her participation in the program has alleviated Burke’s concerns, too.
“We wanted to do something preventative rather than having it happen and for her to lose her independence and maybe not get over it,” Burke said. “It’s important that she knows how to fall.”
The program, developed in conjunction with BC Women’s Hospital’s Osteofit program, has been operating for more than a decade, said Ronda Field, a physiotherapist with Fraser Health’s falls program.
“Specifically, what we’re looking at is balance and strength for fall prevention,” Field told The Tri-City News.
“Walking is great for your heart, it’s great for your lungs, it’s great for your bones, it’s great for your brain but it doesn’t do anything for your strength and balance. Walking in and of itself isn’t actually enough. You actually need that strength and balance piece in order to prevent falls. Strength and balance can decrease your risk of falling by up to 50%."
Field said one benefit of Get Up & Go! is it bridges the gap between sitting and standing exercises, allowing participants to transition into a higher level of physical activity. But mostly it’s about keeping people upright because a taking a tumble can cause a precipitous deterioration in long-term health.
“Falls are often the reason people are needing to go into a different living environment, whether it’s assisted living or long-term care, it’s often the reason people end up hospitalized,” she said. “Ninety-five per cent of hip fractures are due to falls, 30% of people who have a hip fracture die in the first year and 50% never regain their pre-fracture mobility. So falls are huge. One in three seniors falls every year.
"When you look at groups such as people who are visually impaired or have Parkinson’s disease, those numbers go way up. If you look at the group that’s 70 or over instead of 65 or older it’s 40%. It goes up and up in age, so it’s a huge issue.”
Field said the fear of falling also affects independence and limits activity, making them weaker and putting them at an even higher risk of taking a tumble.
“It’s this horrible vicious circle that just gets worse and worse over time. The good news is 50% of falls can be prevented by exercise but the problem is it isn’t a pill. If it was, it would be the most widely prescribed pill ever."
• A presentation for those wanting to be part of a Get Up & Go! class in Port Moody has been tentatively scheduled for Dec. 4 at the city’s recreation complex. Anyone wanting to attend should call 604-587-7866 to register and to confirm the date and time.
IS IT SUITABLE FOR YOU?
Criteria to participate in Get Up & Go:
• 50 years of age and older
• Able to transfer to a chair independently (if unable, must be accompanied by caregiver to assist during class).
• May use a mobility aid such as a walker, cane, wheelchair, or scooter.
• Able to follow directions through verbal or physical gestures with or without the help of a caregiver.
• Able to tolerate light to moderate levels of physical activity.
• Not able to safely participate in a community class due to physical and/or cognitive concerns.
• Must have transportation to and from the class.
• Must commit to a minimum of one session per week for six weeks.
THE CLASSES
Get Up & Go classes are held at:
• Glen Pine Pavilion (1200 Glen Pine Court, Coquitlam) on Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:45 to 1:45 p.m.;
• Dogwood Pavilion (1655 Winslow Ave., Coquitlam) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 2 p.m.;
• and Port Coquitlam community centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
An additional class is being proposed to be held at the Port Moody rec complex, 300 Ioco Rd., on Mondays from 9 to 10 a.m.
For more information, go to fraserhealth.ca/Service-Directory/Services and click on Seniors — Community Services, then Get Up and Go!
