Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center's Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance class has been recognized by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a Violence and Injury Prevention (VIP) Program of Excellence.
HRRMC was commended for its outstanding work implementing evidence-based exercise and education classes that address fall prevention for older adults.
Each year, one in three adults age 65 and older falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2015, HRRMC has offered the Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance class in partnership with the Upper Arkansas Area Agency on Aging.
Moving for Better Balance is a program that incorporates tai chi movements to help improve leg strength, stability, balance and cognitive function. A major goal of the program is to reduce the incidence of falls in older adults and people with Parkinson's disease.
The class is taught by Jon Fritz, a clinical exercise physiologist and HRRMC's employee and community wellness supervisor. The next class will start this summer. For more information, contact Jon Fritz at (719) 530-2057 or jon.fritz@hrrmc.net.
