UAMS Oaklawn Center on Aging to Offer Tai Chi for Fall Prevention

By Ben Boulden

| The Oaklawn Center on Aging of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in partnership with CHI St. Vincent McAuley Senior Center will offer Tai Chi for Fall Prevention at no cost to participants each Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the McAuley Senior Center at 5010 Hwy 7 North in Hot Springs Village.

Certified tai chi instructors Carolyn Minson and Kathy Packard will lead the classes. For more information visit www.oaklawncenteronaging.com or call 501-623-0020.

Tai Chi for Fall Prevention is a program developed by Dr. Paul Lam for the Arthritis Foundation. The program focuses on the principles of tai chi:

  • Movement — controlling movement for improving balance, coordination and strength
  • Body — good posture improves the quality of movements and enhances balance
  • Internal — when you mind is in balance it enhances the ability to focus on your environment and prevent falls

Participants will learn tai chi breathing for relaxation, how to transfer weight and maintain balance, and how to be alert to their environment to prevent falls.  Participants can learn this program from a seated or standing position.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.