Walk Across Holmes County wraps up

Walk Across Holmes County wraps up
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A total of 102 individuals participated in Walk Across Holmes County in September, with 2,378 miles walked during the month.

                        

The 2021 Walk Across Holmes County, sponsored by the Falls Prevention Program of the Holmes County General Health District and the Standing Against Falls Coalition, was recently completed and was a success.

In the Walk Across Holmes County, created to help raise falls awareness in the 60 and over population, walkers were asked to track their steps or miles walked for the entire month of September with 25 individuals registering for the virtual walk.

This year the Falls Prevention Program added five in-person trail walks at trail locations throughout Holmes County during National Falls Prevention Awareness Week (Sept. 19-25). The trail walk locations included Holmes County Board of DD Training Center in Holmesville, Berlin Mennonite Church, Holmes County Trail in Glenmont, Clark Community Center and Lake Memorial Park in Big Prairie.

Pedometers were made available from the Falls Prevention Program if walkers did not have a method to keep track of results, and 102 individuals participated in the trail walks with over 107 miles walked. Total miles walked during the month of September and trail walks was 2,378 miles.

The top-three walkers received certificates of achievement for their walking efforts. The top three, who had a combined total of 379.4 miles, were Raymond Eyler, 159.9 miles; Beth Crone, 111.7; and Elaine Rennie, 107.8.

Falls are an epidemic affecting the older adult population and are the number-one cause of injuries leading to ER visits, hospital stays and deaths in Ohioans age 65 and over. An older Ohioan is injured in a fall every two minutes on average, resulting in an emergency department visit every eight minutes, two hospitalizations per hour and three deaths each day. In addition to the physical toll, falls and the fear of falling contribute to depression, hopelessness and isolation.

Despite these statistics, older adults can take action now. Falls are not a normal part of aging with most falls preventable. Simple changes can make a big difference, and being physically active is one of them.

For questions on the Falls Prevention Program, call Kerry MacQueen at the Health District at 330-674-5035 ext. 251.


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