A Matter of Balance

Earlier this week, the Home Care Alliance trained 29 local health care professionals to teach elders to reduce their risk of falling, using a program called "A Matter of Balance." A Matter of Balance was developed at the Roybal Center at Boston University, and has been nationally recognized for it successes in getting elders to overcome a fear of falling, which in and of itself can increase a person's risk of falling - when that fear leads to reduced activity.

The timeliness of this program can not be overstated. A new CDC Study published in this week's Boston Globe only reiterates what we already know: Falls are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma among adults over 65. Within the next few weeks, a list of MOB trainers will be posted to the Alliance's website for local senior centers and church groups to schedule a training.

We've Only Just Begun

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue released an analysis of 2007 tax returns showng that 95 percent of 3.34 million adults filing health insurance information with their tax returns have health coverage. That is an impressive 'stat' and can make us all proud of the leadership role of our state. In our world of home care, I still remain a little concerned that many of our homemakers and home health aides remain uninsured, at least those who work full-time and find their agency's plan to be unaffordable. Should the MA Health Connector deliver on their promise on their website to develop affordable contributory plans for business, I am hoping that this issue too will have a solution. Kudos, all around.