Welcome everybody to Midday Magazine for this Friday, August 23rd, 2024.
Have your host James J. Mailoff here.
In part two today, we're going to speak with Ronald Rasmussen,
Superintendent of the Wisconsin-Ravics Public Schools Systems.
Right now, though, in studio we have with us our good friend Jennifer Clark,
Community Health Educator with Aging and Disability Resource Center of Central Wisconsin.
Jennifer and I are going to talk a little bit about fall prevention month,
a great program stepping on that you guys have coming up,
and some other stuff. But Jennifer, before we get going,
how are things going at the ADRC? How are our friends doing over there?
Good, you have our busy.
Yep, we're getting geared up for the fall, even though I'm a little sad about that.
Yeah.
It's always coming to an end.
Yeah, yeah.
It could be a little rough. Jennifer, I know the voice is a little rough.
If you can get closer to the mic, thank you so much.
I want to make sure that people hear this and really understand
as we're getting ready to go into fall,
how important it is to be aware of this and not only fall prevention,
but I think something that has occurred to me over the years,
we've been talking about this subject and everything is,
as I get older, being more aware of these things myself,
I might not be at that age just yet.
But before I know it, it'll be there,
and it's been helping me not only learning from you
and talking to the ADRC about this subject,
but even watching my dad or my papa or my grandpa,
these individuals and how they are.
It's something that you, always in the back of your mind,
not a bad thing to be kind of making these mental notes about.
Yeah, and you know, it's funny because a lot of times
we think of older adults having falls, right?
But I feel like everybody falls.
That's a point.
Yeah.
It's just how quickly can we get back up and without injury
and all those good things?
So September is fall prevention awareness month?
You guys have a theme this year.
Yep, so the theme this year is age with confidence, prevent falls.
And I think this is really important because it really brings light
to the topic of falls and that falls, or that prevention of falls is possible.
A lot of times people think that falling is just a natural part of aging.
I fall because I'm getting older,
and that's just what older people do.
But that's really not true.
And there are things that we can do to prevent falls from happening.
And a lot of times they're just, there's easy things, right?
Easy things, simple home modifications that we can do,
or even a change of medications that could help.
Yeah, those are all really key things to this,
and not necessarily common knowledge,
not sincere things to when we think about this.
I think when we think about falling or we think about falls,
we immediately think of how we are when we're young,
and how we brace for a fall or some of these things.
And we kind of use that as our kind of basis
for how we will handle this when they happen.
And all knowing that we can't plan these things.
You know what, I'm gonna fall at three today.
You can't plan these things.
And oftentimes if you haven't been experiencing falling
or having a lot of falls as you get older,
you have this memory of when I was in my 20s or 30s how I handle this.
And it's a very different ballgame at your 50s and 60s how you handle this.
Right.
So I think one of the things that I come back to on this subject too is
how while this can be prevented,
and it can be something that we can work around and everything
that everybody does fall.
And I just mentioned people in their teens or 20s or 30s.
This is something that I don't think anybody should necessarily get
too angry at themselves about.
One of the things that I noticed with my grandparents
that really hurt me,
it wasn't just that they fell.
It was how they affected them mentally and their mental health
and how much they, you know, these are some of the strongest people
have ever met in my life.
And seeing the matriarch of our family have needing help getting up.
And it wasn't that she was hurt.
She was hurt emotionally by it and everything.
Yep.
So that is one of the things that's certainly noteworthy about this.
And there are some other common myths when it comes to fall prevention too,
the idea of that.
Do you mind if we kind of dive into that a little bit?
Absolutely.
So what are some of the myths that are more of the common myths
that people think of when they think of this subject?
Yeah, so one big one that I can think of is I can't gain muscle strength
or improve my balance once it's lost.
A lot of times people think, oh, you know, once it's gone, it's gone.
I can't ever improve it.
And the fact is that it's never too late to start practicing balance
and strength exercises.
Again, most people don't realize that with regular practice,
you can build those things back.
It does take some work, right?
It doesn't come easy.
But it could be something as simple as incorporating a few different exercises
into your daily routine.
So I just think of how easy it is when we're sitting in front of the television.
Yes.
For instance, you know, getting up during our commercial breaks,
maybe doing some sit-to-stands.
I know I've done things while I'm brushing my teeth, you know,
heel-to-toe raises, just the strength and calf muscles,
side leg raises while I'm doing that, dishes.
You know, there's just different ways that we can incorporate those exercises
and even a little bit, it goes a long way.
My dad, when I was a young former athlete,
we've been working out since I was 9 or 10 years old.
And one of the things he taught me when I was really little,
I can't remember the name of the muscle,
but there's a muscle on your upper arm here that if you develop,
even if you go 20 years without working out,
you work out for a little bit.
That muscle pops right back up.
Your muscles are like that.
And they're just sitting there waiting for you to be strengthened again
and everything.
And you don't have to necessarily, you know,
an Arnold Schwarzenegger shape.
You just got to be in some a little bit of better,
healthier shape and what is best for you and your body.
And I think everybody's heard that phrase,
right, if you don't use it, you lose it.
And it's so true when we talk about strength balance
as it relates to falls.
You know, if you're not using those muscles regularly,
they do deteriorate over time,
and we do have to build them back up again.
What's another one, Jennifer?
Yeah, so another one is the medications I take
don't have anything to do with my risk of falling.
This is actually a huge, huge topic as it relates to falls.
So the fact is, is not only do prescription medications play a role,
but a lot of times we don't think about how, you know,
the over-the-counter medications,
the supplements can also play or have side effects or interactions
with our medications and increase our risk for falling.
Studies actually show that individuals who are on four
or more medications are at a significantly higher risk.
So just making sure that you're talking to your provider
about your medications, I have encountered a lot of people
that when asked, you know, why are you taking this medication,
they just don't know.
And so, you know, making sure that you're understanding
your medications, why you're taking them.
Pharmacists are a great resource.
We don't often utilize them enough.
So just talking to your pharmacist about, you know,
what you're taking, maybe the side effects that you're experiencing
and having them communicate with the doctor about that.
Not very proud of this, but to own this for the audience
and to give an example, like we like to do around here,
I'm currently on some antibiotics.
And I've taken antibiotics my whole life,
and I've never really thought too much about it,
and I certainly never thought about side effects of antibiotics.
I figured, oh, these things are here to help me.
I don't really, there's probably no side effects of this,
but the pharmacist comes by yesterday and told me,
hey, there is nausea, there is, you know, a balanced dizziness.
You can be sick to your stomach sometimes.
Some antibiotics can cause some of these things.
And sure enough, I'm dealing with some of these side effects from it.
And I know that I've dealt with them before from antibiotics,
but I never really thought much about the medication
and how it affects me.
We oftentimes take the medication because we need to,
or we take it two times every six hours or something like that.
And we don't think too much about those side effects.
Talking to your pharmacist, talking to your doctor about this stuff,
and maybe even more importantly than that,
listening to them when they're talking to you.
Yeah.
It can go a long way with that information
and helping you hopefully stay a little healthier and more upright.
And the other thing, too, I just want to mention,
is like over time as our bodies, as we get older,
we process medications differently,
and we forget that, too.
So maybe a medication that I was on 10 years ago,
didn't have, you know, I didn't have side effects.
And now, you know, looking at that medication,
now it's causing some dizziness or lightheadedness.
And it's just all because our body
and how we process those medications.
That's a good one.
I hadn't thought of that either.
Mm-hmm.
And you have any others for it, Jen?
Oh, let's see.
Sometimes, you know, one myth is,
I am more likely to follow it's side,
so I should just stay home.
Yeah.
And despite our lovely Wisconsin winters,
most falls actually happen at home inside.
So while it might be tempting to stay at home,
making sure that we're continuing to get out
and about will help with that mobility, you know,
staying mobile and then reducing your risk for falling.
And there's also that risk of social isolation
or that social isolation component as well.
So it's important to get out and continue to socialize
with friends and family, continue to do the things
that you enjoy doing.
Mm-hmm.
And again, that'll keep you, you know, healthier as well.
You know, Jennifer, if you don't mind,
you gave us a handful of these.
And you mentioned that one.
And I feel like it ties into another one very well
that I really wanted to touch on,
that the myth of using a cane or a walker
will reduce my independence.
I went through this with my dad.
My dad is a stubborn Italian.
And I love him the death.
And I love our family and our people and everything.
But my God, sometimes it could be really frustrating
when I just want him to do this one thing,
just use this walker, use this cane
to better his life and so he can have actually
more independence and more freedom.
But for him, it was, it was almost,
it wasn't, I'm not, I don't mean to other people,
but to him when he looked in the mirror,
it was, well, this isn't me or this holds me back
or it makes me look a certain way or something.
And I had to tell him right away, I'm like,
dad, you look really cool with that cane.
Like, honestly, like, not that that's a part of this,
but just, you know, for the sub for a side note there,
I think it actually looks pretty cool, man,
you're rocking that thing.
I think that these things are what you make them.
Right.
You know, when we're, when, when, you know,
if you're young and you have to wear glasses
and you feel like, oh, this, this makes me look weird
or whatever, find a style you like,
find something that work for you and enhance you
and you really are proud to wear.
It's not that different than a walker,
a cane, something like this.
These are, these are good things.
These are things that add to your life,
your better life.
And again, I don't think that, I think that,
especially as younger generations are getting older,
they're realizing more, more of this.
And so much more of this is, well, that's part of life.
And that's okay.
We're, we're happier to see you with these items
than without.
Right. And the alternative, right?
Yes.
It's better than having a fall.
I have to share this because I just think it's,
it's so funny because we're talking about canes.
But we had a volunteer actually that led one of our,
our stepping on programs.
And she had a different color cane for every outfit
that she owns.
And so every day her cane changed.
And you would be amazed at how many different, you know,
cane options are out there and patterns and styles.
And so, yes, if you have them using them,
they help improve stability.
And also remembering to use them correctly.
I think that's the other thing with assistive devices.
So often we see people not using them correctly.
So if you're going to use them connecting
with a physical therapist that can, can I help walk through,
you know, what is this at the right height?
Is it in the right hand?
So often we see people with their canes in the wrong hand.
Or they're kind of slouched over their,
their walkers and that upright.
So, so just making sure that when you're using those,
that you're using them.
And what, very similar to what we were saying
about a pharmacist or your doctor,
when you're talking to the physical therapist,
when you're talking to somebody,
it really, really be listening and engaged.
They're only trying to help you use these items
to the best of your ability.
I think it's such a good point too,
because like, not to keep using these examples,
but my father, he has his right hip is bad.
And he's using the cane on the left side.
That's not going to help him that much.
He needs it on the right side.
But when you're doing that,
you can also sometimes like over,
you know, if you're not using your balance right,
you can kind of like,
put too much weight or too much on the other side
or drag the,
there's a way to do this where...
That's where we're compensating it.
Yes, thank you.
That's the way I was looking for it.
And it just, you know,
the more proper you use these, the better they'll be for you.
Right, yep.
And so often you hear people with, you know, back issues
and things like that,
so I'm making sure that when you're using those walkers,
you're upright, right?
You said that.
I immediately had some individuals pop in my head.
And I had seen do that.
And like that never seemed right to me.
That does, that, yeah,
makes sense that if you have the walker up higher,
you're not going to have to be as hunched over.
Yeah, just these little things that can help you
so much with these items,
with these devices.
One other thing that does stand out to me
about your list, Jennifer,
is the idea of number six,
that it won't happen to me I won't fall.
Boy, is that my dad?
Is that, is that,
and especially in a former athlete,
that really believes in his agility, his balance,
really believes that, well,
I was a hockey player.
I fell all the time.
I can handle a fall.
Some of those things,
that not only understanding how our body's aged differently,
but how so much of that is,
is a memory balance.
It's memory-based.
A physical memory-based.
You hear about this with football players all the time.
You could have a guy that's played for seven years,
but he needs that training camp
to get his body used to taking hits and stuff.
When you're an athlete,
and you don't have that for 10, 20 years,
your body gets used to not taking those things,
so you're just like the rest of us in a lot of ways.
Your body may bounce back from some stuff
a little bit better eventually,
but the idea of that is,
it's important to relearn these things.
And honestly, hopefully you never do fall.
We're hoping you don't,
but just like break glass and create case of need,
hopefully you never have to break the glass,
but it is good to know what's there.
Yeah, so falls can happen to anyone.
All it takes is once a missed step,
a turn up of a rug,
or even a side effect of a new medication.
So like you said,
it can happen in an instant.
It can happen when you're out in the community at home.
And studies also show that if you fall in once,
your choice is likely to fall again.
And so just making sure that you're learning those risk factors
for falls, taking those steps to prevent them,
so that doesn't happen.
That's a really good stat there, Jennifer.
Would you mind touching on that one one more time?
Because that really hit me.
I got to imagine the audience too.
Yep, so study show that if you fall once,
your choice is likely to fall again.
Yeah.
And just even that fear of falling,
but you had an increased risk as well.
Yeah.
We're speaking with Jennifer Clark
from the ADRC of Central Wisconsin.
Jennifer, were there any other myths you wanted to touch on?
Or should we move on to the stepping on class?
Yeah, let's talk about the stepping on program.
Yeah, this is a great program you guys have offered for a long time.
Let's let the audience know more about this.
Yeah, so we will be offering.
It's called Better Your Balance with Stepping On.
So you'll hear from, so it's a great program.
It's seven weeks long community-based program.
We bring in a variety of different guest experts
throughout the seven weeks.
So individuals have an opportunity to work directly with a physical therapist
on some of the very things that we just talked about.
Strength and balance exercises.
Getting up from a fall.
You know, what happens if I do fall?
How do I get back up again?
They cover a lot about cane and walkers.
Looking at, are we using them correctly?
When should we use them?
When do we know it's time to use them?
And then just even navigating on about in the community,
we don't often think about falls happening in parking lots,
grassy surfaces, you know, anything that you're navigating on the community.
We work with a pharmacist that comes in and talks about medications.
So what are those medications that put us at a higher risk?
Or what are some of those side effects with multiple medications that people are on?
We bring in a vision specialist, an optometrist,
to talk about some of those eye-related conditions often.
We don't think of our eyes and ears as a fall risk.
Wow, yeah.
But as people age, you know, you think of those eye-related conditions like gla-coma
or cataracts and how those can play a role.
And then we do bring in someone from the fire department as well.
And they just kind of talk more or so about,
what are they seeing out in the community?
How do we maintain safety when we're out and about in the community?
And they always kind of touch on what they see in the fire department as well
because a lot of their calls, unfortunately,
do relate back to falls as well,
whether it's picking someone up after they fall in
or transporting them because of a fall.
So just a lot of different topics.
We talk about in-home safety, footwear,
all of those things.
So it's very multifactorial.
We're going to be having it on Fridays,
starting November 1st through December 20th.
It is 9.30 to 11.30.
And I should also mention we are skipping the week of Thanksgiving.
Oh, good idea.
Good call.
So we extended it one week.
But it'll be held at the Southwood County YMCA.
And it's important to know that that program is open to non-Y members as well.
So we're helping, we're having it there.
Y members, non-Y members are also welcome.
That really works out for you guys,
being in not the same building,
but a similar building not too far to go for that.
And it gets people to our Y.
That's a wonderful thing to be able to do.
Shout out to our Southwood County YMCA for being able to host something like this.
It is pre-registration important for this.
Should people re-pre-register?
It is.
With this program, we have seen quite significant numbers of people looking to take the program,
which is amazing.
But pre-registration is required so we can take about 15 people.
We kind of have to cap it off there.
But feel free to give us a call.
It is free.
Contributions are always welcome for just kind of offsetting some of the program costs.
But it is free.
Yeah.
It's a great program.
If somebody is not able to take every class,
are they still able to take the course?
Are they still able to be a part of things?
That's a great question.
So really with this program,
it kind of, each of the classes sessions kind of build on one another.
And so we do, if you're going to sign up for the program,
you are committing to the full seven weeks.
And if people do want to pre-register,
how can they do that, Jennifer?
Yep. They can give our ADRC office a call.
888-486-9545.
You can also jump on our website as well,
which is www.adrccw.org.
I don't believe you can register on our website,
but you can find out more information if you're interested in knowing
just more about the stepping on program itself or others that are happening across the region.
And we encourage you to reach out to the ADRC,
whether through their website or social media,
to not only find out more about the stepping on class that again begins November 1st,
but also so many other great things that our ADRC offers to our community.
And the volunteer opportunity to me is one of the greater things that the ADRC has.
I cannot think of a better volunteer opportunity in our community
or really in general than meals on wheels.
Because of obviously, certainly the importance of that meal
and getting to that person and things that we've talked about quite a bit as far as
sometimes you can be that person's one contact or one time
being interacting with somebody,
the friendship that can be created from that.
We've talked about a lot of these things that are a part of it.
I want to focus as well though on the individual to volunteer themselves
and how rewarding this is for you and them.
And I've mentioned many times that I've done this back in California.
That was like 15 years ago.
I still have those memories fresh in my brain.
I still remember those individuals.
I miss those individuals.
I tried to actually contact a gentleman a while back
and fortunately passed away.
But it all the more made it home to me like,
wow, I got to be a part of his life in his last years.
What an honor that is.
I humbled the daylights out of me.
Yeah.
Just those kind of interactions are just as beneficial for the volunteer themselves
as it is for the individual.
That is so true.
Yeah.
That holds impacts in volunteering.
There's so many health impacts.
Yeah.
We talk a lot about mental health nowadays.
And I think we do a really good job in that subject as a society.
It's important to be able to take some of these things to home too
and to work on yourself with some of this stuff.
And if you are looking to give yourself a gift, this is it.
This is one of them.
Volunteering and being a part of Meals on Wheels.
I put my name on this.
You volunteer for this and you are going to be rewarded.
You are going to feel good from doing this.
There are not many things that give a jump start to the mental health like volunteering does.
And there are other opportunities with Meals on Wheels in the ADRC
as far as volunteering.
Keep in mind that the ADRC will work with you and your schedule on Meals on Wheels.
So there's almost nobody that couldn't fit this in
or they wouldn't work with you on a schedule.
Find out more about that and the stepping on class
and reaching out to our friends at the ADRC with any of the needs you might have.
Jennifer, if people do want to reach out to you specifically
and have follow-up questions, how can they do that?
Yep.
Again, you can call or eat 100 number.
Feel free to always do that.
They can connect you directly with Me.
Otherwise, I do have an office for numbers.
This one number as well.
715-261-6064, which connects you directly to Me as well.
And keep in mind that number that Jennifer mentioned.
1-888-486-9545.
That's 888-486-9545.
Be sure to follow them on social media as well.
It's a great way to keep up to data what they're doing over there.
And find out more and get bookmarked their webpage,
ADRC-CW.org.
ADRC-CW.org.
Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us.
Have a great weekend.
We'll talk again real soon.
Thank you, too.
We'll be back with more Midday magazine right here at 97-5 FM 13-20 AM.
WFHR, locally grown radio.