The Council’s Jim Denham presenting at a Stepping On event
As we age, it’s important to take steps to keep ourselves safe and healthy while recognizing that physical changes or environmental conditions can put us at higher risk for falls. Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and even death in Wisconsin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wisconsin had the highest fall death rate among older adults in the United States in 2024. Learning ways to reduce that risk is critical to staying healthy. Classes like Stepping On can provide you with those skills.
Stepping On is an internationally recognized training workshop that teaches people techniques for reducing the risk of falls. The classes are evidence-based and have been proven to decrease falls by 31%. In Wisconsin, those workshops are organized around the state by the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging. In Dane County, classes are facilitated by the nonprofit coalition Safe Communities. Classes runs weekly for seven weeks, and each class lasts about two hours.
“A big part of reducing the risk of falling is building confidence,” says Ashley Hillman, Director of Program Partnership at Safe Communities. “Stepping On focuses on building physical strength and balance while teaching people the skills they need to build that confidence. Like the Council, our goal is to help people live their lives the way they want to on their own terms.”
Each Stepping On session begins with a short and easy exercise aimed at improving physical strength and balance. It then turns to a discussion on how to reduce the risk of falling. Stepping On brings in community partners to talk about specific issues. For example, a podiatrist will come to talk about shoes, a police officer will talk about walking in your neighborhood safely, or a member of the Council’s Vision Services team will talk about fall risks related to vision.
“It’s really important that we reach outside our own organization and bring in people from places like the Council to talk about their area of expertise,” Ashley says. “We rely on the CDC for guidance on the best strategies to prevent fall risk. There are a lot of factors that can contribute to a fall. When we put all of the pieces together through these guest experts, we can create a complete model of what’s needed to increase someone’s confidence and keep them on their feet.”
In addition to facilitating Stepping On, Safe Communities partners with various other events and organizations across Dane County. They host a number of classes meant to build strength and balance for older adults in Dane County. These classes include Line Dancing, Beginning Tai Chi and Ballet for Seniors. All have been carefully vetted by Safe Communities to provide the most benefit for preventing falls.
Safe Communities has several other initiatives in addition to falls prevention. They partner with law enforcement to promote pedestrian and traffic safety by placing flags for pedestrians to hold at crosswalks and post yard signs throughout the community urging drivers to Slow Down. Their mental health and suicide prevention program hosts meetups for both youth and adults to connect with others. Their substance use recovery program enlists specialists with lived experience to help walk people through their recovery journey.
All of Safe Communities’ programs are collaborative. “Everything we do is through a coalition of partners who share the same vision as we do for our community’s future,” Ashley says. “We are always willing to learn and adapt through new partnerships and data so that we can meet all the needs of our neighbors. It’s so valuable to be able to shift when needed to better serve the entire community.”
You can learn more about Safe Communities on their website at SafeCommunities.org. You can find a Stepping On class near you at WIHealthyAging.org/Programs/Falls-Prevention-Programs/Stepping-On.