Home falls are a common occurrence for older adults who don’t have the strength and agility to maintain their balance. In “Falling into Fitness,” viewers can follow Wilhelmina as she regains her strength through physical therapy after falling at home and is healthy enough to enjoy a dream vacation.

What helped Wilhelmina stay committed to her strength-building exercise program was the support of her daughter, Janet, who encourages her mom to seek medical help and who attends her mother’s doctor appointments. In the video, Dr. Paul Sandstrom of Kirkland’s Lakeshore Clinic, encourages older adults to register for fitness programs offered by the city’s Parks & Community Services Department and Evergreen Hospital Medical Center. “Falling into Fitness” can be viewed from the city’s On-Demand Web page at www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/ondemand (Select Kirkland Senior Council Videos).

The video highlights that one-third of persons over the age of 65 and living on their own experience a fall. Although these falls vary in severity, approximately 30 percent of them result in a reduction in mobility. Many require a visit to the emergency room and hospitalization. At Evergreen, one-third of emergency room visits are fall-related.

Kirkland residents can watch “Falling into Fitness” on the city’s television station, “Klife,” on Comcast Channel 75 and Frontier Communication Channel 32. Local retirement communities, assisted living centers and rehabilitative clinics that would like to receive a complimentary copy of the video can contact the Sharon Anderson, Human Services coordinator, at 425-587-3323 or sanderson@ci.kirkland.wa.us.