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Register Now: Practitioners' Day 2025

Challenging balance exercise to improve balance and prevent falls

Falls are a major concern across the lifespan, but they are not an inevitable part of ageing. Everyone involved in balance exercise programs plays a crucial role in promoting physical activity and encouraging people to engage in exercises that effectively challenge balance. However, balance exercise is complex. With many factors to consider - such as exercise type, dosage, exercise setting, risk management, and individual needs - understanding how to deliver safe and effective programs can feel overwhelming.

In this session, Dr. Melanie Farlie will share insights from the development of the Balance Intensity Scale - a tool designed both for individuals to self-monitor the intensity of their balance exercises and for those supervising programs, such as health professionals and community exercise leaders. Attendees will explore how measuring balance exercise intensity using the Balance Intensity Scale can support the design of targeted, effective interventions that optimise training and improve fall prevention outcomes.

Whether you're working in clinical settings or leading group exercise in the community, this session will provide actionable insights to sharpen your ability to assess and guide balance exercise intensity.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Describe the key principles of balance exercise prescription, including the importance of exercise intensity in improving balance and preventing falls.

2. Assess the intensity of balance exercises using the Balance Intensity Scale, through observation and guided practice.

3. Interpret feedback on the use of the Balance Intensity Scale to improve the accuracy and consistency of ratings.

4. Reflect on their learning and develop an action plan for applying the Balance Intensity Scale and related strategies in a professional or community practice context.

Speaker: Dr. Melanie K. Farlie

Dr. Melanie Farlie is an APA Titled Research Physiotherapist and clinician-researcher with over two decades of combined experience in clinical practice and research. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy and a Research Fellow in the Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education (MCSHE) at Monash University.

Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Time: 1:00 pm (MT Canada)

Location: Virtual (zoom webinar)

Practitioners' Day 2025 in partnership with:

Articles of Interest

September is Arthritis Awareness Month

How to exercise with arthritis and maximize the benefits of physical activity: 10 tips from an exercise specialist

Having arthritis can be a major obstacle to getting active. University of Calgary exercise specialist, Dr. Manual Ester, explains the benefits of physical activity for people with inflammatory arthritis, tips for getting active when living with it, where to find support and more. Read the article.

Visit JustOneMove.ca, a website that empowers people with inflammatory arthritis to get active and live life to the fullest. It was created by people who have a solid understanding of the condition, including physical activity experts, researchers, rheumatologists, physiotherapists and people with inflammatory arthritis. JustOneMove.ca has tons of useful resources, including an arthritis toolkit with tips and FAQ responses from experts, a movement vault with safe, arthritis-friendly activities that you can filter by type, body area, joints used, time, equipment and more to help you find exactly what you’re looking for, a community space where people with inflammatory arthritis share inspiring stories about their successes and challenges with physical activity, and more!  

The vestibular system and falls

The vestibular system has an important role to play in movement. The vestibular system helps to control posture and gait as well as maintain balance and orientation by sensing head movement and coordinating eye and postural movements, all factors that support falls prevention.

Is frailty associated with increased concerns about falling and activity restriction in community-dwelling older adults? A systematic review

This systematic review analysed 12 articles to assess whether frailty is a risk factor for concerns about falling. The results indicate a strong association between increasing frailty and concerns about falling and associated activity restriction. These results further support the need for clinicians working with older adults to consider screening their clients for concerns about falling. 

Preventing hospital falls: feasibility of care workforce redesign to optimize patient falls education

Patient education is a key intervention to reduce hospital falls. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of care workforce redesign to reduce hospital falls by using trained assistants to deliver evidence-based, scripted patient falls education in addition to usual care within the first 48 h after the patient’s hospital admission. Workforce redesign can enable timely delivery of evidence-based patient education aimed at reducing falls.

Cognitive health and falls risk: Understanding how keeping a healthy mind prevents falls

Learn more in this article about how you can encourage older adults to maintain their cognitive health to support falls prevention.

Latest research on the benefits of walking

Why walking may be the key to a long and healthy life.

Foot problems in older adults presenting to a falls and balance clinic

This cohort study of 102 patients attending a falls and balance clinic for comprehensive geriatric assessment found that the majority of older adults required podiatry input, with foot weakness and inappropriate footwear being the common reasons for referral. The study also identified that clients with weakness of the hallux had poorer balance and mobility, further highlighting the need for podiatry assessment and interventions as part of the multidisciplinary approach to falls prevention. 

Research evidence suggests aquatic movement and exercise can help reduce your risk of falls on land as can help to improve strength, physical function, coordination and dynamic

Looks like all those “aquafit” fans are on to something: research evidence suggests that moderate to high intensity aquatic exercise is at least as effective as land-based exercise for improving strength, endurance, flexibility, physical function, and dynamic balance.

Education & Learning

New AHS Tool: Nutrition Check-up for Older Adults Now Available

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is excited to announce the launch of the Nutrition Check-up for Older Adults, a quick and easy online screening tool designed to support the health and independence of older Albertans.

As we age, changes in appetite, weight, swallowing, and meal habits can quietly impact our nutrition - often going unnoticed until they lead to more serious concerns like frailty or falls. This new tool helps identify those risks early.

In just a few minutes, older adults can complete a simple questionnaire and receive a personalized report with practical tips, helpful resources, and guidance on where things are going well - and where there may be room for improvement.

Take the Nutrition Check-up today at ahs.ca/OlderAdultNutrition and encourage the older adults in your life - parents, grandparents, friends, or caregivers - to do the same.

NOT Falling for You

NOT Falling for You (NFFY) is a peer-led physical activity and education program for adults aged 55+ interested in preventing falls and improving their balance, strength, and mobility.

We’re excited to connect with community organizations interested in hosting new groups, individuals who are passionate about becoming Peer Leaders, and those eager to participate in classes. Whether you’re looking to lead, join or collaborate, we welcome your enthusiasm and involvement!

Contact us for more information on organizing or attending a class in your area. 

Visit the NFFY Finding Balance webpage for more information and the Edmonton Zone schedule.

McMaster Optimal Aging Portal Webinar

Prescriptions for Aging Well: Muscle, Strength and Protein Matter

Join us on September 24th at 7 pm for a free one-hour webinar with Dr. Stuart Phillips, Professor of Kinesiology and a leading researcher in the field, as he shares how strength training and protein intake can help older adults maintain muscle, improve mobility, and support overall well-being.

Whether you're new to this form of exercise or curious about how much protein you really need as you age, this session will offer evidence-based advice and simple strategies to help you age actively and confidently. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of Canada’s most prominent researchers on muscle health in aging. 

New Concussion Guide for Adults 65+

Parachute has developed a new Concussion Guide for Adults 65+. Adults 65+ may have unique considerations for concussion recognition and management. This resource provides information for adults 65+ on what to do if they might have a concussion as well as tips for managing and recovering from concussion and getting back to regular activities.

The resource was informed by older adults with lived experience, caregivers, health professionals, service providers and researchers.

Comprehensive Fall and Injury Prevention Online Training

 Are you and your colleagues certified in fall prevention?

This internationally acclaimed five-week course equips multidisciplinary health care teams with the knowledge and skills to design, implement, and evaluate fall-prevention programs in your practice setting. Upon completion you will be awarded a Professional Development Certificate from the University of Victoria for continuing education credits at your professional organization.

 To secure a spot for this facilitated self-paced course, register early at continuingstudies.uvic.ca/CFPC  for October 24 to November 28, 2025.

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Injury Prevention Centre Social Media Changes

The Injury Prevention Centre is winding down our presence on Twitter (X) and shifting our focus to BlueSky instead. You can now find us at @stopinjury.bsky.social, where we’ll share updates from the Centre and our programs, including Finding Balance.

We’ll continue to stay connected with you on:

• Facebook: @stopfalls and @stopinjury

• Instagram: @stopinjury

• YouTube: @injuryprevention

As always, thank you for following us - we look forward to continuing the conversation on these platforms!

All content is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own health care provider or any other health care professional.