Falling: It’s Not What You Think (Aging Well SIG)
Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide, trailing only road traffic accidents according to the World Health Organization
Gary Coleman of Different Strokes died after suffering an accidental fall at his home. Leonard Cohen also suffered a fatal middle-of-the-night fall at his Los Angeles home, leading to complications that resulted in his passing in his sleep.
Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide, trailing only road traffic accidents according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
- 684,000 Fatalities: Falls account for roughly 684,000 deaths globally every year, young and old
- The Most Common Injury: The most frequent severe injuries sustained from a physical fall are fractures of the patella, tibia, fibula, or ankle.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries: Falls are documented by the CDC as the #1 most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
- The 1-in-5 Rule: The CDC reports that exactly 20% (1 in 5) of all falls result in a serious injury like a broken bone or head trauma.
How do we prevent falls? And how do we recover from it?
Join us for an engaging evening exploring the science of balance and falls with a falls prevention expert.
Guest Speaker:
Vanessa Kettler is an expert educator in the field of exercise for older adults, specializing in helping seniors improve their balance and prevent falls. She is the founder of Building Better Balance, which promotes unique, effective exercises that have been proven to help people. Kettler has taught over 7,000 classes in the field of elder exercise. She is a professional dancer at the age of 71 and has trained in many different approaches to physical fitness for the past 40 years. Kettler presents throughout Northern California and Florida on the subject of how to prevent falls. "My own personal goal in life is to help even just one person not fall", says Kettler
Virtual Event
Zoom link will be sent to registered participants.
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
6:00pm - 7:30pm PT
HCSF Members: Free
Non Members: $10
Click here to register
Event Registration (Harvard Alumni):
Please sign in with your HarvardKey otherwise a duplicate record will be created and you will not be able to log-in.
No HarvardKey? Please retrieve your HarvardKey here. If you need help, email ithelp@harvard.edu or call 617-495-7777
Event Organizer:
Carlo Vergara
carlovergara@alumni.harvard.edu