Balance Before You Fall: Fall-Prevention and Balance Exercises for Seniors, With Illustrated 10-Minute Routines You Can Do at Home

Feel steadier on your feet in about ten minutes a day, at home, with nothing more than a sturdy chair and your kitchen counter.

More than one in four adults aged 65 and older falls each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The encouraging part is that the right kind of practice makes a real difference: a large Cochrane review of 81 trials found that exercise reduced the rate of falls by 23 percent. Balance Before You Fall turns that evidence into a calm, clear program you can follow one small step at a time.

Inside you will find:

• 40 illustrated exercises, each with numbered steps, a safety cue, and ways to make it easier or harder

• Eight ready-made 10-minute routines, from a fully seated starter to a full balance workout

• Three simple self-checks used by health professionals, done with a helper, to find your starting point and measure progress

• A twelve-week plan that tells you what to do each day and when you are ready to move on

• Safe ways to get up and down from chairs, bed, stairs and the floor, and calm steps to follow if a fall happens

• Everyday habits that lower risk: eyes, feet, medicines, lighting, and a room-by-room home safety checklist

• Routine cards, a progress log and a plain-language glossary at the back

• Clear, easy-to-read type on a large 8.5 x 11 inch page that stays open beside you

Written warmly and plainly for older adults, and for the sons, daughters and caregivers who want to help them stay independent. Please check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.