FROSTBURG — Seniors in Frostburg are working to improve their balance to prevent falls through a program titled “Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance.”
Lisa Bohrer, a community health and wellness manager at PharmaCare Network, teaches the program twice a week at the Frostburg Senior Center.
“The benefits of Tai Chi are improved balance; stronger abdominal muscles and leg muscles; improved self-confidence; improved posture and an overall a sense of wellness and tranquility,” said Bohrer, who said she is the only Tai Chi-trained instructor in Allegany and Garrett counties. “Plus, it is a great social gathering for them.”
“Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art form comprised of slow, deliberate movements simulating defensive and offensive poses,” said Bohrer.
Frostburg resident Carol Adams joined the program for the exercise and the social aspect because she knew Bohrer and some of the people in the program.
“It’s relaxing. Lisa has music playing during the entire session,” said Adams. “There is no pressure on you and you can go at your own speed. I like the way it makes me feel.”
Frostburg resident Beverly Gardner joined to better her balance.
“The program helps improve balance in older people. The program has benefited me quite a bit. It has helped strengthen my core,” said Gardner, who last summer was in and out of surgery for issues with her muscles.
Bohrer has been teaching the program since November to about 30 seniors.
“Lisa is really good at making sure everyone is getting each movement to where it will help better our balance and help with our core,” said Gardner.
Bohrer heard about the program through the Allegany County Health Department and then traveled to Laurel to learn from Fuzhong Li, a scientist who developed the program.
“(Li) works for the Oregon Research Institute and has studied falls in the elderly,” said Bohrer. “This program has been taught in several states; however, the National Institutes of Health has embraced it.”
Oregon Research Institute studies have found that the program can substantially decrease the risk of falls in older adults. A study comparing the effectiveness of a six-month program of Tai Chi classes with a program of stretching exercises found that participants in Tai Chi classes had fewer falls and fewer fall injuries, and their risk of falling was decreased 55 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The program is offered from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Frostburg Senior Center.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.
Latest news
Frostburg seniors participate in Tai Chi classes to improve balance
- Latest news
-
-
Historic bell to toll for West Virginia's 150th anniversary
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — A bell that rang on June 20, 1863, to herald the news of West Virginia achieving statehood will ring again to mark the state’s 150th anniversary.
-
New York man injured in 40-foot fall from Gunter Hotel
FROSTBURG — A 53-year-old New York man was found unconscious on Main Street late Monday after he apparently fell from the third-floor balcony area of the Gunter Hotel, according to the Frostburg Police Department.
-
Local doctor named West Virginia’s most loyal
The West Virginia University School of Medicine Alumni Association has named a local physician as its 2013 Most Loyal West Virginia Physician.
-
Scouts reunite after 55 years
Eighteen boys left Cumberland on July 4, 1958, to travel by train to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M., for a two-week adventure of a lifetime. Fifty-five years later, 10 men of Explorer Post 10 reunited at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg on April 27.
-
City police arrest suspect in gunshot incident
CUMBERLAND — Gunshots were heard early Sunday morning in the area of Furnace and Valley streets and Cumberland Police found a handgun nearby after taking Gerald Allen Moore, 23, of Cumberland into custody.
-
Hospitals release information for safety report
Maryland hospitals had fewer reports of serious adverse events in fiscal 2012 compared to the year before but an increase in suicides, according to the Office of Health Care Quality in Baltimore’s annual Hospital Patient Safety Report.
-
Poll: Most men aspire to be dads
A recent Associated Press-WE tv poll found more than eight in 10 men said they have always wanted to be fathers or think they’d like to be one someday.
-
Allegany County residents pledge to help stop domestic violence and sexual assault
Men from all walks of life in Allegany County are observing Father’s Day this year by signing a pledge to contribute to the end of domestic violence and sexual assault.
-
Kelly Robertson gets serious about artwork
Flowers and sunsets are among the many subjects Kelly Roberston enjoys painting, but most of all, the flowers. It took a while for her to find the joy and the interest that now drive her to the easel.
-
Garrett officials to discuss Southern Middle project
The Garrett County commissioners will consider funding for the Southern Middle School renovation project during their public meeting Tuesday at 4:15 p.m.
- More Latest news Headlines
-
Historic bell to toll for West Virginia's 150th anniversary
