During a five year period in Henry County there were 104 seniors over the age of 65 who were injured in a fall; five of those died and 61 were admitted to skilled nursing for restorative care. The associated cost of falls is predicted to be about $54 billion by 2020, so if we could prevent a fraction of these it would be a very large dollar amount. The Living Well Homemaker Club sponsored by the Henry County Extension Service is designed to reduce these statistics. It is a multidimensional whole person wellness program that develops the capacity for participants to function across many life domains: the Physical domain including Restorative Therapy and Fall Reduction; the Spiritual domain with the Mind Body Connection; the Intellectual or Cognitive domain involving the lessons and handouts; the Social domain though the group interaction, the Emotional domain as self-efficacy of the participants improves; and the Vocational/Functional domain as they give back through community volunteerism. The club has 27 members who met about 50 times over the year. Living Well gives our students a leg up on fall prevention and fall recovery regardless of age, ability, or condition. According to research falls account for 87% of all fractures among people aged 65 years or older. Over 1/3 require hospitalization and/or extended health care to address activities of daily living that can last months or more. 

-Living Well has increased my flexibility and energy. If I miss a session due to surgery or illness, I really miss it. I enjoy it for the socialization as well 

-A friend talked me into trying Living Well, I really liked it and haven’t missed a session yet. It has helped me have easier movement in my joints and walking is easier now and more fun when you have someone to do it with. I look forward to coming every day. 

-Thank you so much for this program. I am enjoying it very much, I feel better emotionally and physically. This activity keeps me cognitive of my bodily and spiritual needs. I hope to continue as long as I can.