Stepping Up Your Nutrition is a one time 2.5 hour session for people who are interested in improving their nutrition and strength. This session is designed to help people understand the connection between nutrition and preventing falls.
Below are details about the program. Click on the button to find workshops near you.
What topics are covered ?
- What Is Malnutrition ?
- The Connection Between Nutrition And Falls
- Muscle Loss With Age
- Protein In Food / How Much Do You Need ?
- Label Reading For Protein
- Important Role Of Fluids In Our Diet
- How To Plan A Strength Building Diet
- Learning Your Personal Nutrition Risk Score
- Are You At Nutritional Risk ?
Who can attend ?
This interactive one time session is targeted to adults, age 50 +, who are concerned about falls, and / or are interested in improving their nutrition and strength. Participants will understand the importance of balanced nutrition and falls prevention.
Does the program replace existing programs and treatments ?
The program does not replace any existing programs or treatment. In fact, this workshop enhances those provided through accredited programs often provided in hospital settings. Treatment is not altered. For medical questions, participants are referred to their physicians. If the content of the course conflicts with instructions they receive elsewhere, they are advised to follow their physicians’ orders and discuss discrepancies with the doctor.
What can I expect from the class ?
This class will provide the knowledge to understand the correlation between malnutrition and falls. Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. Every year, 1 out of every 3 older adults will fall.
The goals of this workshop are to highlight nutrition as a core component in falls prevention and for older adults to learn about nutrition in an effective, fun way. Participants will learn their own “Risk Score” for malnutrition and develop an Action Plan around it.
Developed as a collaboration between Maintaining Active Citizens (MAC), Inc. Living Well Center of Excellence, the Maryland Department of Aging and Abbott Nutrition, data and outcomes are still being collected for this program which was developed in 2017.
Some Stepping Up Your Nutrition Classes may collect voluntary strength grip scores.
*This project collaboration was awarded the 2017 International Council on Aging’s (ICAA) Achievement Award. This recognition was given for collaboration among organizations, creating a unique approach to falls prevention, peer-professional partnership, and maximizing opportunities in the physical wellness dimension, including healthcare and nutrition.
Details of the Workshop
Stepping Up Your Nutrition is an interactive 2.5 hour educational module that uses a peer-led format similar to the Stanford Self-Management Programs. Module activities/topics covered during the workshop include: how nutrition affects falls, loss of muscle as we age, importance of fluid and protein in the diet, and learning if you are at risk for malnutrition.
Malnutrition can cause substantial losses in lean body mass which makes older adults more susceptible to falls. To explore the signs and symptoms of poor nutrition, each participant has the opportunity to complete a questionnaire called “ Nutrition Risk Screening Tool.” This tool will determine if someone is at risk for or who may already be malnourished.
This is a fun and interactive session with informative handouts and worksheets.
After taking this class, participants may continue with a 7-week Falls Prevention Program such as Stepping On. Many of the Stepping Up Your Nutrition activities set the stage for further discussion on topics such as healthy eating, incorporating exercise into your life, risk factors for falls and maintaining strength and balance.