Falls Prevention Class goes from strength to strength
This month our communications team attended a Falls Education and Prevention class in Darvel Church Hall. Established in August 2024, the class meets regularly in venues across East Ayrshire to deliver a strength and mobility-focused exercise routine to older adults in a fun and friendly setting.
Since attending the class, group members have seen marked improvements in their overall strength, mobility and balance and many have dramatically lowered their risk of falls.
Hosted by Occupational Therapists Andrew (Andy) Johnstone and Lisa Reid, the group has evolved to become so much more than an exercise class, offering attendees an opportunity to make friends and have a laugh together.
Andy spoke about the social aspect of the class:
“It first started as a group of individuals but now they’re bonding and we’re more of a social group. They all just love it. They work hard, they really enjoy it and they just want to have fun.”
Two class participants also shared their stories with us, each explaining how the class had benefited them over the past year.
The first, Alan Yates, said that regular attendance at the class had helped him regain enough strength to stand and shave; something he had previously been unable to do as a result of a stroke at the beginning of 2025:
“I struggled to stand and shave and could only stand for maybe 30 seconds. After three weeks of coming here I found I could stand and shave the whole way through, which made a big difference.
“I enjoy the banter and the singing [at the class] too. They make it fun.”
Another regular class participant, Anne Ramsay, said the class helped her maintain strength in her legs after experiencing serious illness:
“I was extremely ill in June of this year and ended up in septic shock. I was in intensive care and it took me a long time to get back on my feet and I was working with the physio in the hospital. He said he was amazed at how strong my legs were considering how unwell I had been, and I can only put it down to this [attendance at the class].”
“It’s been really, really good and the banter is excellent. Andy is very good at keeping people going and encouraging where it’s needed.”
The class meets weekly in Darvel Church Hall, Ochiltree Community Hub and East Ayrshire Community Hospital.
For more information, please contact Andrew Johnstone or Lisa Reid.
You can also find out more about the class on the ALISS website.
