HENDERSONVILLE – A Carolina Village fall prevention initiative has been selected as the recipient of LeadingAge North Carolina’s 2023 Excellence in Innovation award.

The award-winning idea was a large-scale fall reduction festival that took place in November 2022. The interdisciplinary initiative was created by Carolina Village Wellness Coordinator, Aleen Dailey; Director of Therapy, Sara Fink; and Resident Nurse, Savannah Tadlock. It started as an idea to get residents excited about classes and services already offered at Carolina Village. The ultimate goals, however, were to enhance residents’ quality of life and to prevent falls. It morphed into a week-long “Falls Festival” that incorporated wellness, therapy, nursing, dining services, and external community partners, such as the Council on Active Aging. 

With more than 20 workshops, lectures, lunch-and-learns, and social events over the course of the week, roughly 30% of the Carolina Village resident population attended Falls Festival events. Festival attendees played cornhole, went on a Park Stroll, ate lunches designed specifically to promote bone health, and so much more.

As a direct result, several residents signed up for a Functional Fitness Assessment and Gym Orientation. More than 20 residents committed to attending Balance Classes and Power Training Classes regularly for three months as part of a research project led by Aleen Dailey. 

Since the event, many participants have noted how much stronger and more confident they feel when navigating their environments and an increase in their quality of life. Months later, residents still stop the event organizers in the halls to tell them how impactful the event was to them, how well-orchestrated, and to ask when the next event will be.

The award will be presented on May 4 during LeadingAge North Carolina’s Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC.  

Carolina Village plans to host an even bigger festival in 2023. The event creators will present this very event at the 2023 International Council on Active Aging Conference in order to help other communities create their own versions. 

Carolina Village is Hendersonville’s only Type-A LifeCare Continuing Care Retirement Community.

About LeadingAge North Carolina:

LeadingAge North Carolina, located in Raleigh, is an association of nonprofit providers of aging services. The Association has 69 nonprofit member communities statewide that include continuing care retirement communities/life plan communities and affordable housing providers. Its members employ 15,000 mission-oriented staff serving more than 20,000 North Carolinians. The Association offers education, advocacy, networking and shared services and is the state affiliate for LeadingAge in Washington, DC (an association of 6,000 nonprofit organizations dedicated to expanding the world of possibilities for aging).

Photo: From left: Sara Fink, Aleen Dailey, and Savannah Tadlock accepted the LeadingAge North Carolina’s 2023 Excellence in Innovation award on behalf of Carolina Village. Together, these three led the charge for the Falls Festival last year with the goal of reducing senior falls. They are planning an even larger community event scheduled for this fall. 

Source: Carolina Village