Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

MINDFULNESS Implementing Mindfulness: an active awareness of the present moment, acknowledging feeling, thoughts, and body sensations. Mindful activities can improve brain health, reduce anxiety, and improve overall wellbeing. Mindfulness has 3 elements intention, attention, and attitude. Mindful Walking Use all your senses to provide you information when walking. When we are able to slow our movements and become more aware of our environment we can reduce the likelihood of falls and injury. What are you seeing as you walk. This could be uneven surface, bumps, thresholds, various items that have fallen or been dropped on the ground. Being aware of your surroundings can prevent slips, trips, and falls. What do you hear when walking. Other people, machine equipment, animals, cars, etc. Often time sudden movements in our pathway may startle us and cause us to lose our balance, being aware of various sounds can help you prepare for incoming movements needed to stay safe. What do you smell when you are walking. Is something burning, are fresh cookies being made, can you The Pinecone | January 2025 • 5 • smell a rainstorm starting. Using our sense of smell can alert us to dangers when walking or lead us to a place where activities are being done at. What do you feel when walking. Does your balance feel like its not the same, do you feel lightheaded or dizzy when you are walking, when you step can you feel your foot making contact with the ground. What you feel when walking, moving or changing position is called proprioception. This occurs when are sensory and motor neurons in the muscle, joints, and tendons are activated and provide as information on our movement. If our sensory system does not match the motor demands, we are at higher risk for falls. Role of Therapy Vision – occupational therapists can provide environmental modifications to help with low vision and reduce falls and help to retrain your eye movements to enhance your visual scanning abilities. Proprioception – physical and occupational therapists can provide retraining of your sensory and motor systems to enhance your ability to stabilize and move within your environment. Mindfulness is the capacity to perceive our world clearly, without adulteration or manipulation. BRR