Falling Into Focus: Who Is Falling and Where on the North Coast

Wed., June 10, 12-1 p.m.

Location: In person: Eureka

Cost: FREE to OLLI members

With Sarah Landis, Lecturer/Physical Therapist

This lecture will present regional falling data from Humboldt and Del Norte counties and highlight key insights into fall risk within North Coast communities.

Participants will review epidemiologic patterns, including who is falling, where falls are occurring, and potential contributing factors across demographic groups and environments.

The session will describe the previously completed community-based project in which individuals from Humboldt and Del Norte counties participated in fall risk screening and completed a survey addressing personal risk factors, activity levels, environmental exposures, and prior fall history.

By integrating objective screening measures with self-reported experiences, this work provides a comprehensive regional fall risk profile. Discussion will focus on how these findings can inform prevention strategies, guide resource allocation, and support development of targeted interventions aimed at reducing falls and improving mobility, safety, and quality of life across North Coast populations.

This lecture is part of the June lecture series taking place at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center. It is free to OLLI members.

This class takes place on the second floor of the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center. There is an elevator in the building, as well as handicap parking in front of the building.

Register by 12 p.m., June 7.

Sarah Landis

Sarah Landis, PT, MS, WCS, is a pelvic floor physical therapist. After completing her undergrad and masters at Humboldt, she went on to complete her doctorate in physical therapy at University of St Augustine. Sarah then returned to Humboldt County and has been practicing physical therapy for 10 years. 

Sarah earned her Women’s certified Specialist designation in 2022. She runs her own private physical therapy practice called Axis Physical Therapy. 

She is also the director of the Biomechanics Lab and a lecturer at Cal Poly Humboldt. As the biomechanics lab director, she works to help students and community members learn about the limits of stability and how we can decrease falls in our community. 

Her research is centered around rural fall risk and helping seniors stay independent for as long as possible.