East Michigan News

A fitness program tailored to reduce falls among older individuals in mid-Michigan is the latest effort by Central Michigan University (CMU) researchers to improve the lives of older adults.

The program, led by undergraduate students, involves exercises aimed at maintaining strength and balance. It incorporates 17 strength and balance exercises, according to Dr. Jyotsna Pandey, a faculty member with the College of Medicine.

Known as GET (Geriatric Exercise Training) Fit, the program uses techniques pioneered in New Zealand in the late 1990s. Students leading the sessions gain service learning experience and valuable interaction with older adults.

The initiative is expected to expand to assisted living facilities across mid-Michigan, starting with six facilities in Isabella County in late September or early October. Following this pilot phase, it may be extended to other assisted living facilities in Midland, Gratiot, and Clare counties.

Exercises through the program focus on strengthening legs, retaining balance, and walking to improve stamina. To encourage participation, GET Fit could incorporate games like Bingo with exercise breaks.

This program represents CMU’s latest fall prevention effort aimed at enhancing the quality of life for Michigan’s older population. Previously, CMU faculty focused on helping older adults reduce their risk of falling at home through programs like Healthy Aging. This initiative allowed students to assess fall risks in seniors' homes and provided resources to make these environments safer.

“By the time a person falls, it’s too late,” Pandey stated.

Healthy Aging brought together students from three colleges—the College of Medicine, The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, and social work students from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences—in a cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Another program, ROAM Care, brought healthcare providers into senior homes via CMU’s mobile health unit. “We thought, ‘Let’s bring the doctor’s office to their homes,’” Pandey explained.

Additionally, another initiative provided emergency medical technicians with fall reduction information after discovering that many seniors who fell at home declined further assistance.

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