Porchlight Teaching Seniors How to Stay Safe at Home

LEE — Porchlight VNA/Home Care announced it will serve several towns in Western Mass. with its falls-prevention presentations. Lynn Proulx, Porchlight’s certified occupational therapist and director of Rehabilitation Services, will lead the interactive discussions.

In two locations in Chicopee, Proulx will lead the Move in Time program, which she co-created. The six-week series involves the same group of seniors participating once a week for one hour throughout the entire series. Each week, cumulative learning and activities achieve skills in balance, risk assessment, and strengthening to prevent falls. Move in Time will eliminate risk factors for falls and empower seniors to remain independent and lead fulfilling lives. After three months, a follow-up assessment and refresher presentation is offered to the seniors.

Move in Time will be held at Chicopee Library on Thursdays from Sept. 22 to Oct. 27 at 11 a.m., and at the Chicopee Council on Aging on Wednesdays from Oct. 5 to Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. Both are offered in English and Spanish. A one-time falls-prevention presentation will be held at Middlefield Council on Aging on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. and at Becket Council on Aging on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. To confirm attendance, call Proulx at (413)717-7894.

Porchlight’s partnership with the towns demonstrates its commitment to serving the needs of the community to remain at home safely and reduce the risk of a fall leading to hospitalization. Of note, falls have become an increasingly deadly issue for the nation’s aging population and also greatly affect those in the area’s aging population.