By Tonie Rogers
Special Contributor

The Bulverde Senior Center, with the cooperation of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, will be offering two-hour-a-week sessions for older adults with concerns about falling and restricted activities.

The sessions will continue for eight weeks. “A Matter of Balance” is an award-winning program, emphasizing practical strategies to manage falls and increase activity levels. Participants will view falls as controllable set goals for increasing activity make changes to reduce fall risks at home exercise to increase strength and balance

Anyone concerned about falls, anyone who has fallen in the past and anyone who has restricted activity because of falling concerns will benefit from this program.

The classes will be offered with no charge to any adult in the community and surrounding areas.

Kathy Compton, with the Area Agency on Aging, will be the guest speaker at the Bulverde Senior Center at noon on Dec. 10. Anyone interested is invited to attend. Compton will discuss “A Matter of Balance” and provide additional information.

Classes have been scheduled to begin on Feb. 6. They will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bulverde Senior Center on Cougar Bend in Bulverde through March 26.

Pre-registration is re-quired, since classes are limited to 12. The BSC will offer additional classes, as needed. Call the Bulverde Senior Center, (830) 438-3111 to register.

In conjunction with this program, Dr. Valorie Robert-son and Dr. James Strader, D.C. will provide a free Fall Risk Analysis for balance disorders, dizziness, and vertigo at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 13 at the senior center. The free assessment will be available to any interested adults in the community, but we ask that you call the number shown above for BSC to sign up.

The risk of being seriously injured in a fall increases with age. This is something each of us can do to help ourselves and improve our balance, flexibility, strength and risk of falling. Please consider attending “A Matter of Balance” classes and take steps to protect your independence.