SHELTON, WA – Help prevent falls and make a difference by supporting falls prevention and awareness in Mason County. Sign up today to be a volunteer coach to guide participants through a series of fall prevention classes later this year. Volunteers do not need prior medical training. Coaches who can lead classes in North Mason are also needed.

Mason General Hospital & Family of Clinics has been partnering with Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging and Mason County Senior Activities Association Center on A Matter of Balance, a program designed to reduce fears and concerns of falling and to increase activity levels, strength and balance in older adults. The program also emphasizes practical coping and prevention strategies and helps with setting realistic goals.

The program is in need of trained lay leader coaches who help facilitate, lead and coach participants through the workshops in a group setting with a specific curriculum. The next lay leader coaches training is from 8 a.m. to noon, Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 24 and 25. If interested, please contact Cheryl Woods, clinic director, or Michelle Williams, falls prevention coordinator, at (360) 427-9545 in the Mason General Hospital & Family of Clinics Rehabilitation Services Department.

“We’re into our second session and we’ve had really positive comments from the participants, who are learning a lot and feeling more confident with their walking,” Woods said. “Our first coach training was in March and the coaches have now gone through two sessions. We need more coaches so they can have a break and we really want to expand into North Mason.”

The next eight-week session starts Oct. 2. If you are interested in becoming a participant in the workshops, please call Mason County Senior Activities Center to find out when the next workshop will be held (360) 426-7374.

MGH&FC is certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. MGH&FC now offers 3D Mammography Services and Virtual Care 24/7.  For more information on 3D mammograms, Virtual Care or to find a health care provider, visit www.MasonGeneral.com.

                                                        

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