At 80 years old, Toni Scott is still packed with energy. She attends tai chi classes at the Inglewood Senior Center and takes any opportunity she can to dance.
And yet, the spry octogenarian finds herself increasingly worried about having a bad fall. She’s already had one scare, falling while carrying packages on a flight of stairs at home, but emerged mostly unscathed.
“We’re pretty much at an age where anything can happen so fast,” Scott said.
Scott is one of more than 140 seniors who have signed up for the Blue Zone Pilot Intervention Program at the Inglewood Senior Center, a new project aimed at diagnosing fall risks in older adults and giving them tools to stay on their feet.
Malcolm Jones, a biokinesiology researcher who created the program, said the effort is inspired by the world’s six “Blue Zones,” pockets of the globe where research has found people live exceptionally long lives (other demographers have questioned the accuracy of those studies).
Jones said the new Inglewood program aims to help increase life expectancy in Inglewood by reducing bad falls among the city’s older adults.
Falls are common for aging adults. One in four adults over 65 reports a fall every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. David R. Lee, a physician with UCLA Health’s Westwood Geriatric Medicine said about a third of falls cause injuries from bone fractures to head trauma.
“It can lead to a lot of impact down the line,” Lee said.
Jones and his staff lean on a suite of boutique diagnostic equipment to show program participants where their fall risks comes from, measuring things like reach, balance and muscle strength.
Then, trainers teach group classes with targeted exercises and basic information on how to avoid falls.
“I’m more confident,” said Patricia Boykin, 79, a former Inglewood resident who drives to the senior center from her home Culver City for classes. Boykin said she repeats the exercises she learns at home.
“The difference between being in your home and being in a home is a fall,” she said.
Inglewood’s population is getting older, data shows
The number of seniors in Inglewood has been growing in recent years, according to census data, even as the city’s overall population has dropped by nearly 6% since 2020. More than 15,000 people 65 and older now live in the city, 4,000 more than a decade ago.
Jones, the program’s creator and founder of KRU Sciences, LLC, said the Blue Zone Pilot Program came after the city asked him to explore ways to help increase life expectancy.
As of 2017, Inglewood’s life expectancy was 79.8 years, according to a Social Science Research Council study, more than two years shorter than the county average.
This year, a follow-up study from the group found the city’s life expectancy had dipped to 79.1 years, mirroring a similar fall in the county life expectancy. Researchers said the COVID-19 pandemic, drug overdoses and cardiovascular disease contributed to the countywide drop.
Through an initiative from Inglewood Mayor James Butts, the City Council voted in January to allocate more than $314,000 for the Blue Zone Pilot Program’s first year, covering salaries for four staff and more than $65,000 in equipment.
Lee, the UCLA doctor, said medical practitioners rarely have time during check-ups to do more than ask a few questions about fall risks. A more in-depth physical assessment is a plus but a comprehensive program like Inglewood’s, he said, is even better.
“Programs that are built into the community. Those interventions are the ones that have more of a lasting impact,” Lee said.
Two dozen people joined a recent Thursday class, sitting in chairs and working through leg lifts and other exercises along with coach Sun Lee.
Pamela Baker, 64, said she already works out regularly, but added the fall prevention class as a precaution.
“It just kinda comes up on you as you age,” Baker said. “I want to make sure I’m good.”
The Inglewood Senior Center at 111 N. Locust St. is open for adults 50 and up from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Services are open to residents of Inglewood and surrounding areas.
