Falls Prevention Week at Vivalon
Thank you for an incredible week of learning, movement, and connection.
Missed an event or want to revisit what you learned? Explore recordings, presentations, resources, and highlights from the week below.
Falls Prevention Week at Vivalon
Thank you for an incredible week of learning, movement, and connection.
Missed an event or want to revisit what you learned? Explore recordings, presentations, resources, and highlights from the week below.
What a Week!
Falls Prevention Awareness Week brought together community members, healthcare professionals, first responders, instructors, and local organizations for conversations and experiences focused on one shared goal:
helping us stay strong, confident, and engaged as we age.
Throughout the week, participants heard new local research, learned from medical experts, explored their own balance and mobility, practiced what to do after a fall, and experienced movement programs designed to build strength and confidence.
And while Falls Prevention Awareness Week may be over, the learning doesn’t have to stop.
Explore the highlights and resources below.
Knowledge is Balance
A Community Conversation on Fall Risks, Recovery & Prevention
What do falls look like across Marin County?
Bria Larson, MPH, shared findings from a three-year research and analysis project examining falls across Marin. San Rafael Battalion Chief Jason Hatfield explored what happens when first responders answer a call for help, and Jessica Lacanlale, MSN, RN, PHN, of MarinHealth brought the hospital and trauma perspective.
Together, their presentations traced falls from countywide trends → emergency response → hospital care, helping us understand both the scope of the issue and opportunities for prevention.
Falls From the Front Lines
Four Perspectives on Prevention, Recovery & What Comes Next
Four healthcare experts brought four different lenses to fall prevention and recovery: geriatrics, pharmacy, podiatry, and physical rehabilitation.
Featuring Arlene Johnstone, PharmD; Kyle Hoppes, PT, DPT, MHA; Dr. Yessika Woo-Lee; and Dr. Catherine “Carie” Chin, and moderated by Kris Rebillot of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the conversation explored the many factors that can affect fall risk—and what we can do before and after a fall.
Resources You Can Use
Missed a session or looking for something you received during the week? Explore presentations, handouts, and practical tools from Falls Prevention Awareness Week.
Fall Prevention in Marin County
Bria Larson, MPH | Marin County HHS
Jason Hatfield | San Rafael Battalion Chief
Jessica Lacanlale | MSN, RN PHN of MarinHealth
Falls From the Front Line
Arlene Johnstone | PharmD
Falls From the Front Line
Dr. Yessika Woo-Lee | Podiatrist
Keep Building Your Strength & Confidence
The Week May Be Over. The Movement Continues.
Falls prevention isn’t something we practice for one week a year. Vivalon offers classes throughout the year that support strength, balance, mobility, body awareness, and confidence.
Whether you’re ready to try Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Strength in Balance, or another movement and wellness program, there’s a place to start.
Help Make More Possible
This week showed what can happen when people have access to knowledge, movement, support, and community.
Your gift helps make opportunities like these possible all year long—along with the meals, rides, classes, and connections that help people stay engaged in the lives they want to live.
Help us keep saying yes to more people in our community.
Help Make More Possible
This week showed what can happen when people have access to knowledge, movement, support, and community.
Your gift helps make opportunities like these possible all year long—along with the meals, rides, classes, and connections that help people stay engaged in the lives they want to live.
Help us keep saying yes to more people in our community.
Stories of Strength & Confidence
For the people who participate in Vivalon’s programs, it isn’t just about exercises or learning how to avoid a fall.
Stories of Strength & Confidence
What does fall prevention look like in real life?
For the people who participate in Vivalon’s programs, it isn’t just about exercises or learning how to avoid a fall.
Falls Prevention Week Schedule
Whether you’re looking to improve your balance, build strength, learn how to make your home safer, or simply keep moving, there’s an opportunity for you.
Visit our Healthy Aging Campus to join FREE classes and activities all week long: 999 Third Street, San Rafael
Tuesday | September 22
Knowledge is Balance : A Community Conversation on Fall Risks, Recovery, and Prevention
Tuesday | September 22 | 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Register here.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among older adults in the United States. What does that look like here in Marin?
Hear from three local experts who see the impact of falls firsthand:
- Bria Larson, MPH, Epidemiologist, Marin County Department of Health and Human Services
- Jason Hatfield, San Rafael Battalion Chief
- Jessica Lacanlale, MSN, RN, PHN, MarinHealth
Bria Larson will unveil findings from a three-year research and analysis project conducted in partnership with the County’s EMS Department. Her work looks at falls across Marin County, revealing who is falling, how often falls are happening, and what the local data can teach us about prevention.
Jason Hatfield will bring the first responder perspective, sharing what happens when a fall occurs and the fire department is called to respond. He’ll offer insights into emergency calls, response patterns, and what first responders see when they arrive at the scene.
Jessica Lacanlale will take us from the emergency response to the hospital, sharing data and insights from the patients who arrive after a fall. Her perspective will help illuminate which falls result in serious injury and what happens after an older adult enters the healthcare system.
Together, these three perspectives offer a rare look at the full picture of falls in Marin, from the data showing what is happening across our community, to the emergency response when a fall occurs, to the hospital experience that follows. The program will conclude with a live Q&A with the panelists.
The program will conclude with a live Q&A with the panelists.
Free and open to the public. Livestream available.
Class Sampler: Try Something New. Find Your Strength.
Tuesday | September 22 | 1:30 pm-3:00 pm
Registration is not required.
Experience 30-minute class demonstrations, with introductions from instructors, sample activities and exercises, and time to ask questions.
Explore:
- Tai Chi & Qi Gong — Gentle movement to support balance, strength, flexibility, and confidence.
- Strength in Balance — Exercises designed to build strength and improve stability.
- A Matter of Balance — An evidence-based program focused on reducing fear of falling and increasing confidence.
- Senior Strength — Strength-building exercises designed to help older adults stay active and capable.
Wednesday | September 23
“Oops, to Up!” – A Fall Recovery Session
Wednesday | September 23 | 10:30 am-11:30 am
Register here.
What should you do if you fall? Join Krissy Waller, PT, DPT, a board-certified neurologic physical therapist, for a practical, hands-on session about recovering safely after a fall.
You’ll learn:
- Techniques for getting up after a fall
- Modifications for different mobility levels
- How to practice getting on and off the floor safely
- Ways to build confidence before you actually need these skills
This is an opportunity to practice with guidance in a safe environment—not wait until you’re on the floor to figure it out.
Fall Risk Assessments
Wednesday | September 23 | 12:00 pm-3:00 pm
A neurologic physical therapist will conduct individual fall risk assessments and gait testing to help identify balance, mobility, and walking challenges.
Understanding your individual risk can help you take steps toward earlier intervention, safer movement, and greater independence.
Falls From the Front Line: Four Perspectives
Wednesday | September 23 | 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
Register here.
Join four Marin County medical experts for an honest and illuminating conversation about fall prevention, moderated by Kris Rebillot, Director of Communications at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Together, they’ll explore fall prevention from multiple angles—from the pharmacy counter to the physical therapy clinic, from the feet up to the whole person.
Meet the panel:
Dr. Catherine (Carie) Chin, Geriatrician, Kaiser Permanente
How aging, chronic conditions, medications, and whole-person health can intersect to affect fall risk.
Arlene Johnstone, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, MarinHealth
The often-overlooked role medications can play in balance, stability, and fall risk.
Dr. Yessika Woo-Lee, Podiatrist, MarinHealth
How foot health, footwear, and biomechanics affect the way we move.
Kyle Hoppes, PT, DPT, MHA, Director of Rehabilitation Services, MarinHealth
What physical rehabilitation can teach us about restoring balance, rebuilding confidence, and preventing the next fall.
Thursday | September 24
What’s New in Fall Prevention—and How Do I Use It?
Thursday | September 24 | 3:00 pm–4:30pm
Register here.
Technology is changing the way we think about fall prevention.
Join Ken Dickinson, Vivalon Instructor; Emily Steedman, Occupational Therapist and founder of 1011 Life Consulting and the Longevity Land Platform; and Shel Symonds, Chief Marketing Officer at Clairvoyant Networks and Theora Care to explore tools available today and innovations that could shape fall prevention in the future.
You’ll learn about practical technologies designed to support safer, more independent living—and have an opportunity to understand how these tools actually work and whether they might be useful for you.
Friday | September 25
Try the Y for a Day! At the Marin YMCA
Vivalon members, come discover a new place to move, strengthen, and stay active.
As part of Falls Prevention Awareness Week, Vivalon members can receive a complimentary day pass to the Marin YMCA and explore everything the Y has to offer.
Your day can include:
- A special aqua class focused on balance, strength, and fall prevention
- Senior Strength drop-in classes
- Other fitness classes offered throughout the day
- Time to explore the pool, fitness center, and other amenities
No YMCA membership required.
To receive your complimentary day pass, Vivalon members must attend Vivalon’s Fall Prevention event on Tuesday, September 22. We’ll provide the Friday class schedule and information about signing up at Tuesday’s event.
Classes are first come, first served, so come early, try a class (or two), and see what the Marin Y has to offer.
Thank You
Falls Prevention Awareness Week is made possible through funding from our generous sponsors and the County of Marin.
News, Classes & Events!
Bridging Generations: Connecting Through Food and Conversation
Sunday | November 15 | 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Vivalon After Dark: A Stage for Everyone with Corey Rosen
Thursday | November 12 | 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
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