Debra Rose, PhD, FNAK, is a chair and professor emerita of the department of kinesiology at California State University at Fullerton and is director emerita of the university’s Center for Successful Aging. She also served as one of three codirectors of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence at the University of Southern California, funded by the Archstone Foundation. The goal of the Fall Prevention Center was to advance national and statewide efforts to reduce falls among older adults.
For the past 40 years, Rose’s primary research focus has been the development of fall risk assessment tools and theoretically driven interventions that address balance and gait disorders in older adults. She is nationally and internationally recognized for her scholarly contributions to the literature, and her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed publications, including Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurology Report, and Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.
The innovative fall risk reduction program she developed is considered a best practice program in health promotion and continues to be implemented in numerous community-based settings and retirement communities throughout the United States. The Balance and Mobility Specialist Instructor certificate program that she founded in 2003 has trained over 1,000 instructors and clinicians to deliver effective individual and group-based balance and mobility programs in a variety of settings.
Rose is a fellow and past president of the National Academy of Kinesiology, former executive board member of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA), and past editor in chief of Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.
Elizabeth White, MS, is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in kinesiology, with a concentration in gerokinesiology. She is assistant program director of the Balance and Mobility Specialist Instructor certificate program, which trains professionals to deliver FallProof balance and mobility programs. She has years of experience designing exercise programs for older adults based on client needs, goals, and abilities. She is also a part-time lecturer and researcher at California State University at Fullerton as well as an adjunct faculty member in the older adults education department at Mt. San Antonio College. White has a passion for working with the older adult population and teaches group-based balance, mobility, and fitness classes to older adults in hopes of helping them age successfully and improve their overall quality of life.
Description
Part I. The Theory Behind the Program Chapter 1. Understanding Balance and Mobility What Is Balance? Terminology Postural Control Strategies for Controlling Balance Multiple Systems Contribute to Balance and Mobility Age-Associated Changes in the Systems Contributing to Balance and Mobility Case Studies Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 2. Why Do Many Older Adults Fall? Multiple Factors Cause Falls Effects of Common Medical Conditions Effect of Medications on Balance and Mobility Fear of Falling Are the Risks the Same for All Older Adults? Practical Implications for Program Planning Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Part II. The FallProof Program for Improving Balance and Mobility Chapter 3. Screening and Assessment Systems Framework of Postural Control Health and Physical Activity Patterns Assessing Functional Ability Assessing Fall Risk Assessing the Multiple Dimensions of Balance and Gait Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 4. Center-of-Gravity Control Training Seated Balance Activities Standing Balance Activities Floor-to-Standing Transfers Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 5. Multisensory Training Forcing the Use of the Somatosensory System to Control Balance Forcing the Use of the Visual System to Control Balance Forcing the Use of the Vestibular System to Control Balance Exercises Coordinating Eye and Head Movements Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 6. Postural Strategy Training Practice Requirements Progressive Exercise Activities Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 7. Gait Pattern Enhancement and Variation Training Overview of the Gait Cycle Mechanisms Controlling Gait Age-Associated Changes in Gait Effect of Pathology on the Gait Pattern Gait Pattern Enhancement and Variation Training Culminating Activities Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 8. Strength and Endurance Training Selected Upper-Body Strength Exercises Selected Abdominal Strength Exercises Selected Lower-Body Strength Exercises Selected Compound Floor Exercises Selected Exercises for the Foot and Toes Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 9. Flexibility Training Selected Neck and Upper-Body Flexibility Exercises Selected Lower-Body Flexibility Exercises Selected Floor-Based Flexibility Exercises Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Part III. Implementing the FallProof Program Chapter 10. Setting the Stage for Learning Understanding the Stages of Learning Understanding Different Learning Styles Introducing the Skill Being Learned Identifying and Correcting Errors in Performance Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Chapter 11. Program Planning and Class Management Techniques Following the Initial Assessment Setting Individual Program Goals Before Each Class Session During Each Class Session Between Class Sessions After Each Follow-Up Assessment Communicating With Class Participants Summary Test Your Understanding Practical Problems Appendix A. Balance Kit Inventory Appendix B. Answer Key for Test Your Understanding Questions