GERDIA: A Community Health Worker Empowerment Model Based on Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation to Improve Balance and Reduce Fall Risk in Older Adults

The increase in the older adult population in Indonesia is accompanied by various health problems, including the risk of falls due to declines in balance, coordination, muscle strength, and functional mobility. This condition can cause injuries, reduce independence and quality of life, and increase the burden on families and health services. This program aims to implement GERDIA (Diagonal Movements for Older Adults) as a community health worker empowerment model based on Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) to improve balance and reduce fall risk in older adults. The program was conducted in Berua Urban Village, Biringkanaya District, Makassar City, involving 14 older adults and 4 community health workers. The method used a Train the Trainer approach, including identification of the partners' conditions, fall prevention education, community health worker training, implementation of GERDIA exercises based on PNF diagonal movement patterns, and monitoring and evaluation. Evaluation was conducted through pre-test and post-test assessments of community health workers' knowledge, observation of skills, and balance measurement using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The results showed an increase in community health workers' knowledge from 62.5 to 90, with competency of 89.0% (Very Competent). Older adults' BBS scores increased from 42.9 to 43.6, and 64.3% of participants showed improvement. The program produced a module, posters, a QR Code video, GERDIA cards, and community health workers capable of independently leading exercises. GERDIA has the potential to be developed as an innovative, sustainable, and easily replicable community physiotherapy model.