Free Fall Prevention Screenings To Be Offered

A couple of weeks ago I was ushering in church. I was standing in the back handing out bulletins when an older lady suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Loren, catch me!" She spun around and I managed to grab a portion of her arm and broke her fall. She landed and sat on the floor for a few minutes. She mentioned that she had been seeing the doctor recently about dizzy spells but had never fallen before.

This adds credence to the Owatonna Hospitals offering of free falls prevention screenings. Sept. 21-25 is Rehabilitation Awareness Week. The hospital will be offering free screenings on Monday, Sept. 21, from 11AM to 1PM in Conference Room 1485.  Appointments are limited and reservations are accepted at (507) 977-2150.

These screenings will take about five to 10 minutes and involve two short tests of a person's gait and ability to stand up and sit down without using their arms.

Some of the risk factors for falling at home include:

• One or more falls in the past year
• Vision issues
• Balance problems
• Diet
• Dizziness and other issues.