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Pictured here at the weekly class are local residents of Caldwell,
Livingston and West Orange participating in a Project Healthy Bones
class.
The New Jersey Interagency Council on Osteoporosis has joined with
the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) to “make lifelong
bone health a family tradition” and raise awareness for osteoporosis
and bone health during May— Osteoporosis Awareness and
Prevention Month.
Osteoporosis is a disease that can be passed on through generations.
Men, women and anyone with a family history are encouraged to get
screened for osteoporosis and join a local Project Healthy Bones program
to help decrease bone loss, increase bone density and improve strength,
balance and flexibility.
A 24-week peer-led low impact exercise and education program, Project
Healthy Bones runs classes at the Saint Barnabas
Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) in Livingston, as well as in all New
Jersey counties. Each session includes exercises to improve strength,
balance and flexibility, and education on nutrition, safety, drug
therapy and lifestyle related to osteoporosis.
Known as “the silent disease,” osteoporosis is a serious
condition that causes bones to become thin, brittle
and easily broken. Nearly half of all women and twenty percent of
all men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
Osteoporosis can impair an individual’s ability to walk unassisted
and often results in prolonged or permanent disability, institutionalization
or death.
“Fortunately, with healthy behaviors like performing weight
bearing exercises, having a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin
D, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol, and having bone density
testing and medications when neeeded, this condition is largely preventable
for most people,” said Susan Allison, RN, Osteoporosis Center
at the ACC.
A 2008 survey conducted by NOF found that “almost 80 percent
of Americans 45 and older do not believe osteoporosis
is a risk factor in broken bones; 40 percent of women and 60 percent
of men age 45 and older have little or no concern about their bone
health; and almost half of Americans age 45 and older are not aware
that a fracture and a broken bone are the same.”
Men and women—especially those with a family history of osteoporosis—are
urged to recognize their risk and get a bone
density (DXA) scan, which is covered by Medicare for both men and
women age 65 and over.
NOF, the council, as well as the Osteoporosis Center at the Ambulatory
Care Center, encourage both men and women to get screened for osteoporosis
and join a local Project Healthy Bones program, which is offered at
the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center. Please call 973.322.7430
for more information about the Project Healthy Bones classes at the
ACC and also the services provided at the Saint Barnabas Osteoporosis
Center.
May 26, 2009
Contact: Angela
M. Kessler
Director, Public Relations and Marketing
(p)
973-322-7327
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