Reducing Falls in Older Adults: A Qualitative Exploration of an Intergenerational Tai Chi Class

Falls in the older adult population are a critical public health concern, particularly in New Mexico where mortality due to falls is three times higher than the national average. Following National Center for Injury Prevention and Control recommendations (NCIPC 2008), an interdisciplinary team of researchers at New Mexico State University's Falls Research and Healthy Aging Laboratory has implemented a tai chi-based intervention to reduce this disproportionately high rate of falls-related mortality. The lab includes kinesiologists, physical therapists, and a medical anthropologist as well as their undergraduate and graduate students. During the spring semester of 2015, the lab began offering a tai chi course at a local community center as part of a pilot study evaluating the effectiveness of this intervention strategy for a U.S-Mexico border population. The team conducted a qualitative analysis of participants’ experiences of the tai chi intervention.