Take a Hike! hits 3,066 miles, meets goal for first time since 2020

The 2025 Take a Hike! event held during September was a success. The event was sponsored by the Falls Prevention Program of Holmes and Wayne, under the guidance of the Holmes County General Health District and the Standing Against Falls Coalition. Take a Hike!, previously known as Walk Across Holmes County, was created to help raise falls awareness and promote daily physical activity for those age 60 and older.

Sixty individuals registered for the 2025 TAH! via an online survey or a phone call to the HCGHD. Walkers were asked to track the number of steps or miles walked for the entire month of September.

This year the Falls Prevention Program of Holmes and Wayne recognized the top 10 walkers of TAH! because the top 10 had taken a minimum of 241,000 steps during September, which averages 96 miles. The top 10 walkers for the 2025 TAH! had a combined total of 3,290,095 steps, totaling 1,316 miles.

The top 10 walkers will receive special certificates of achievement for their walking efforts. The top 10 walkers are Raquel Miller (176 miles), Paul Daiber (166), Ryan Eyster (144), Diana Lahm (142), Laurie Vaughn (136), Amanda Whitten (129), Tyler MacQueen (128), Linda Kimble (100), Olivia MacQueen (98) and Barbara Stutzman (97).

The Falls Prevention Program also hosted seven in-person trail walks in September. Six walks were held in Holmes County and one in Wayne County, with three walks held during National Falls Prevention Awareness Week (Sept. 21-27).

The trail walk locations included Deer Run Park in Millersburg, Nashville Church of Christ Trail in Nashville, Oak Hill Park Trail in Wooster, Berlin Mennonite Church walking path in Berlin, Holmes County Board of DD Trail in Holmesville, Holmes County Trail-Hipp Station in Millersburg and Clark Community Center Trail in Clark.

A total of 164 individuals participated in one or multiple trail walks. Pedometers were available from the Falls Prevention Program for walkers without a method to track results. Fall prevention ambassadors Bev Weaver, Marcia Detter, Judy Varner, Liane Eyster, Darlene Fox, Janet Zimmerman and Pam Leach assisted during one or multiple trail walks by registering or greeting walkers.

The total miles walked during September for those who participated in TAH! and the seven trail walks was 3,066. The goal for this event was 2,500 miles, and it is the first time it has been met since the event began in 2020. The 3,066 miles translate into 7,665,050 steps taken in the name of falls prevention.

September is known as Falls Prevention Awareness Month in Ohio, and the 7,665,050 steps were submitted to the Ohio Department of Aging’s 10 Million Steps to Prevent Falls. This monthlong event held in September raises awareness of older adult falls and the many ways older Ohioans can minimize their fall risks.

During National Falls Prevention Awareness Week, 40 individuals wearing red, white and blue participated in the Patriotic Falls Walk and Health Fair. This event was held Sept. 24 on a rainy day at the Holmes County Trail-Hipp Station in Millersburg. There were two fitness stops marking the one-quarter-mile and one-half-mile points. These stops provided participants with opportunities to learn and engage in basic circuit training exercises.

The Health Fair featured representation from the Area Agency on Aging Region 9, Genesis Black Lung Program of Genesis HealthCare System, Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Modern Hearing Solutions, and the Falls Prevention Program of Holmes and Wayne, which provided healthy aging information.

Sixty-one health screenings were completed during the event including balance (Medical Reserve Corps volunteer of the Falls Prevention Program), fall risk screenings (fall prevention ambassador), depression and anxiety screenings (HCGHD), tobacco cessation (HCGHD), and blood pressure checks (Sycamore Run/Scenic Pointe). Sycamore Run/Scenic Pointe also provided snacks for the walkers.

During the prewalk festivities, Jason Troyer, Holmes County Emergency Management Agency director, presented information to walkers on the importance of fall prevention within the community.

Falls are an epidemic affecting the older adult population and are the No. 1 cause of injuries leading to ER visits, hospital stays and deaths in Ohioans age 65 and older. An older Ohioan is injured in a fall every two minutes on average, resulting in an emergency department visit every eight minutes, two hospitalizations per hour and three deaths each day. In addition to the physical toll, falls and the fear of falling contribute to depression, hopelessness and isolation.

Despite these statistics, older adults can take action now. Falls are not a natural part of aging, and most are preventable. Simple changes can make a big difference, and being physically active is one of them.

For more information on the Falls Prevention Program and its services, call Kerry MacQueen at the HCGHD at 330-674-5035 ext. 251.