SCSU, CentraCare Partner on $100K Study to Predict and Prevent Falls Among Seniors

(KNSI) – Nearly every day in 2024, someone in central Minnesota suffered a serious fall-related injury that sent them to the CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital emergency room.

Now, St. Cloud State University is partnering with CentraCare to help prevent these life-altering accidents. SCSU’s Human Performance Lab received two Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research grants totaling $100,000 to buy state-of-the-art equipment to help conduct the study.

With the funding, Dr. Kyle Reason, an assistant professor of exercise science at SCSU, hopes to test 200 individuals to help create a new statistical model to predict falls. Participants would come to the lab, located in Halenbeck Hall on SCSU’s campus, to undergo a series of advanced body composition, balance, and fitness tests before receiving a free analysis of their results.

“Falls with fractures in our elderly patients can change the life path of many of our community members,” said CentraCare M Physicians Orthopedist Dr. George Morris, Medical Director of Sports Medicine. “Hip fractures are particularly burdensome as they often require care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility and significantly impact a person’s independence.”

Dr. Morris adds that doing this research will help identify the risks and educate providers and communities on how to prevent them.

Selected individuals will have the opportunity to participate in a free 10-week fall prevention program at the Whitney Senior Center, beginning in February, led by the research team.

Residents age 60 or older who are interested in participating in the study, email hpl@stcloudstate.edu or call 320-308-4798.

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