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HEALTH, SAFETY & WELFARE Janet Lynn, jlynn@hotmail.com

Mark your calendars for these two events coming up:

2017 FLU VACCINATION CLINIC

Sarasota Health Care Services, Inc. is offering the 2017 FLU VACCINATION CLINIC, Tuesday, October 3 and
November 7 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at PGICA. No appointment is necessary for this clinic. SHCS, Inc. will bill Medicare
for the vaccine you receive. Bring your insurance card and photo identification to the clinic. SHCS, Inc. will offer the
traditional and high dose Flu vaccines, along with PPSV23 Pneumonia Vaccine and the new Prevnar-13 Pneumonia
vaccine. See the flyer on page 13.

More information about the Flu and the Pneumonia Vaccines will be printed in the October Commentator to help you
decide which vaccine is most appropriate for you. Watch for the October Commentator.

The Big Red Bus is coming to PGICA’s parking lot October 27 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Save a pint and donate. The blood
drive that we had in February this year resulted in ten units of blood. Remember, each donation can save up to three
lives so that means 30 patients could benefit from the lifesaving efforts of PGICA blood donors.

LUNCH AND LEARN SANDWICH SEMINARS

Learn what the advantages are for your body when you have good balance. Topic: Maintaining Balance: A Fall
Prevention Talk
We have a sandwich seminar on the third Tuesday of each month. Bayfront Health Punta Gorda will sponsor the Lunch
and Learn Sandwich Seminar on September 19. FREE lunch is provided by Bayfront Health at 11:30 a.m. followed by an
informative lecture given by Jim Abromaitis, Bayfront Health Physical Therapy. Join us to learn the components of
balance; the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems, and how they work together to help you maintain balance.
We will also discuss the importance of preventing a fall, modifications that can be made for fall prevention, and what to
do if you fall.

There will be time for questions. Call PGICA @ 941-637-1655 for more information and to register for free lunch.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD PHYSICAL BALANCE

There’s a short list of things you’re likely taking advantage of right now. But don’t worry, we’re not judging; in fact, just
about everyone does it. It’s only normal to breathe or blink without thinking about it, and we don’t notice our sense of
balance until it’s not working like it should. Balance is an underrated principle of our everyday functioning. It keeps you
upright, allows you to walk without assistance and helps prevent injury. But there are a variety of things that can reduce
our sense of balance, from both an internal and external perspective. In this article they spoke with three medical
professionals for their expertise on the importance of balance and what you can do to stay off the ground and seeing
straight.

The Complexity of Balance
Simply explained, a good sense of balance allows us to recognize our position relative to other objects around us,
including the surface on which we are standing, walking, or running. According to Caroline DeGroot, a physical therapist
and the vestibular program manager at Athletico Physical Therapy, balance is an important aspect in carrying out both
simple and complex movements.

“It allows you to perform everyday activities you may take for granted, like walking in open spaces without objects to hold
onto or turning to talk to a friend while walking,” DeGroot said. “Balance also makes it possible to negotiate steps or
curbs without a rail, walk on grass or sand, and step over obstacles.”

And while it may be apparent when someone has particularly good (or bad) balance, there is actually much more
happening internally than what we can see on the outside. Balance is maintained by the vestibular system, a small organ
in the inner ear, and it can be negatively affected when the organ is damaged or not working correctly. This can happen
in a number of ways, but the most common sources of declined balance are external substances and the aging process.

“I commonly see people come in after falling secondary to alcohol intoxication or the use of other illicit substances,” Dr.
Akram Alashari, a trauma surgeon and critical care physician in Myrtle Beach, S.C, said. “These substances can cause
dizziness, lightheadedness and vertigo, (along) with the potential to sustain injuries.” It’s certainly no secret that
excessive intake of alcohol and illicit substances can quickly lead to balance issues while they are in your system.

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