Did you know that around one in three people aged 65 years and over will have a fall every year. Many will not injure themselves and they will get themselves up off the ground, maybe be a little sore, some tell me they are a little embarrassed, but they will likely not think about it again until the next time.
Can you or a family member relate to this?
Is there anything you can do though to reduce the chances of having another fall and hopefully not getting injured if you do?
The short answer is yes.
The majority of falls are preventable and at any age there are things we can be doing and changing, adding into our lifestyle to help lower our risk of falling and just simply live better.
The World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults were released in 2022, to help people to better understand how to prevent and manage falls. [1] They recommended older people participate in exercise programs that focus on balance and strength training, but mobility is important too.
To get the most benefit the balance and strength training should be around 2-3 hours per week ongoing. [1,2] If you haven’t had a fall in the last year or you’ve only fallen once, they suggest you can do this at home or in the community, for example at a class. If you have regular falls (more than one a year) you would benefit more from seeing a professional and getting an individualised program.
Some of my research has included balance and strength training for older people and one of my participants trained for 6 months and sent me an email about an experience they had:
When is a fall a fall or just a stumble?
Today I was hurrying to catch a bus at my local Station.
I was hurrying down a flight of steps when my shoe caught and I lurched forward.
If I had fallen, I would have tumbled 2 to 3 meters to the bottom of the stairs.
The results of this fall could have been serious injury.
Fortunately, I always have one hand on the handrail just in case.
As I lurched forward, I managed to grip and hold the rail with my left hand.
This caused my body to rotate to the left and so I was able grasp the handrail with both hands.
It required upper body and leg strength to prevent a fall.
Recently I have been exercising my upper body with the Upper Body Exercises and Clock Yourself App Coordination Biceps and Punches movements.
The App has also greatly improved my leg strength in moving in all the different directions.
Walking and gardening has also contributed to my leg strength.
It is my participation in your study that has provided the motivation to regain a level of fitness that was able to prevent a catastrophe.
I am absolutely delighted to be participating in this study and this incident provides the incentive to continue exercising when the study is concluded.
It’s so pleasing that this participant really understands that it is important to keep going, strength and balance should be continually trained to stay strong for life.
There are also other things that you can consider looking into or potentially adding or changing in your life to help reduce your chances of falling:
Make sure you see an optometrist at least every couple of years for an eye test. If you are having trouble with your vision, especially if you have cataracts, having them treated can make a real difference;
If your prescription for your vision changes take care, especially outdoors, until you get used to the changes;
Single lens distance glasses are recommended when doing outdoor activities, rather than multi-focals, bifocals, or progressive lens;
If you suffer from foot pain or foot problems generally see a podiatrist to try and get them fixed;
Wear sensible shoes; shoes that make you shuffle or don’t allow you to pick up your feet when walking are not advised, low heels (if you need them at all), good tread on the sole of the shoes can all help;
Have your medications reviewed yearly, some can increase your risk of falling;
If you need Vitamin D supplements take them daily and try and avoid monthly or annual doses because these can actually increase your risk of falling;
Make sure you have good lighting around the house;
Take your time when getting up out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, the sheets are often in a place that can trip you;
Remove falls hazards around the home, this always helps.
Do you think there is anything on the list you might look into improving or add in that can help you to reduce your chance of falling?
If you have all of these things covered, good on you! Just keep going with it all, making sure you schedule in your GP and optometrist appointments regularly.
If you’re unsure how to improve your balance, strength and mobility there are some easy ways to start at home and then as you get more confident you might like to branch out to groups in the community. Some at home suggestions:
Safe exercise at home three levels of exercises you can follow safely, they also include videos
Balance Yourself is a common sense balance training program created by physio Meg Lowry
Clock Yourself combines physical challenges with cognitive tasks and can be downloaded from the App store or Google Play
Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise program (LiFE) program to prevent falls
Go for a walk regularly, keep an eye on your stride length, as your stride reduces and you start to walk slower this can be a sign your strength and balance are reducing and you are feeling less confident about getting around.
Things to tick off the list:
Get your GP to review your medications in respect to risk of falling during your next appointment;
Book an eye appointment if it has been a while since you had them tested;
Throw out shoes that have no grip, are broken, you don’t wear properly, or they make you shuffle (old slippers are the worst);
Think about things lying around, can some things be put away;
Make sure your lighting is good, mood lighting can be dangerous!
Live the good life!
References:
[1] Montero-Odasso M, van der Velde N, Martin FC, et al. World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults: a global initiative. Age Ageing. 2022;51(9).
[2] Sherrington C, Fairhall NJ, Wallbank GK, et al. Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database. 2019.
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