Friendship Village Sunset Hills Wellness Coordinator Sarah Corbett works to assess resident Bob Wilds’ fall risk using the new VirtuSense VST Balance fall prevention and balance screening program.

Falling is the No. 1 risk factor among senior citizens and often signals declining health for many.

In its ongoing mission to help its residents live well longer, Friendship Village has partnered with VirtuSense Technologies to monitor balance patterns and prevent falls among its residents.

“I had no idea that a simple scan from a machine could reveal so many warning signs,” Friendship Village Sunset Hills resident Bob Wilds said as he stepped down from the VSTBalance scan platform. “I feel great and my fall risk is minimal, but I’m happy that the machine has revealed my results so that my wellness coach and I can work on maintaining and improving them over the next six months.”

VirtuSense uses 3D technology to help visualize and assess the balance of residents while taking them through several assessments such as seeing their walking speed, range of motion and general mobility.

These assessments provide hard data regarding stability, normal walk gait, leg strength, balance and agility. The test takes about 10 minutes.

“Because balance is so critical at this stage of life, having access to a system like this is instrumental in evaluating our residents’ levels of fall risk and in helping them stay healthy,” said Sarah Corbett, wellness coordinator at Friendship Village Sunset Hills. “It really is changing the way we look at providing senior care, and it’s changing the way our residents look at their own health.”

“Doing more to help seniors live well longer is what defines Friendship Village,” said Terry Walsh, president and CEO, Friendship Village of St. Louis. “We take seriously our commitment to our residents, and incorporating the latest technology like VirtuSense to help prevent falls is just one way we stand apart from other senior living communities.”

Independent research shows that seniors who live in a “Life Care” community like Friendship Village live longer, healthier and more independent lives than seniors in the community at large.