Speaking of Fall
Prevent falls by taking simple precautions.
By Melanie Lasoff Levs
You may remember some of the falls of early childhood: learning to walk, running through the house when you weren’t supposed to, thinking you could fly like your favorite superhero. You survived. But as we age, falling is not child’s play. According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 5.8 million adults over age 65 reported that they fell at least once during the previous three months. About five percent of them had to seek medical attention or restrict their activities due to their falls. Among people 65 years and older, falls are the leading cause of injuries, hospital trauma admissions and injury deaths. As the U.S. population ages, the cost of falls is expected to reach $43.8 billion by 2020, according to the CDC.
“It is a common and serious health problem,” says Judy Stevens, PhD, epidemiologist at the CDC who specializes in older adult fall prevention. A fall without injury still has a huge impact on quality of life, she says, since falling aggravates a fear of falling, leading people to become inactive, which, in turn, only increases the risk of falling.
What causes so many falls in the elderly? While they are as susceptible to slippery floors and path obstructions like toys as younger people, loss of balance in the aging population could be attributed, in part, to age-related changes in their brains. A recent University of Heidelberg study in Germany of 639 men and women ages 65 to 84 found that people will severe changes to the white matter in their brains related to gait and balance were twice as likely as those with mild changes to score poorly on walking and balance tests, as well as to have a history of falls.
As seniors age, their muscles can become weaker and their joints less flexible, causing a change in posture. As a result, their balance shifts. Medications can cause dizziness too.
There are many ways to prevent falls, says Betty Perkins-Carpenter, PhD, author of How to Prevent Falls: Better Balance, Independence and Energy in 6 Simple Steps. One way is to keep your toes spread out in your shoes, she says. “With arthritis, that can be difficult, but that’s important not to curl them. That can make you lose your balance.”
If you have trouble spreading your toes, Perkins-Carpenter suggests rolling your feet over a soup can, or putting your feet in a dishpan of warm water and practicing spreading and curling your toes.
The first step in her six steps – stretching before you get out of bed inthe morning -- also is key to avoiding falls. If you’re stiff in the morning, start slow. “You’re in a safe environment, you’re not fighting gravity and therefore you don’t have the fear of falling. Stretching affects your posture, your balance, your gait and your flexibility,” says Perkins-Carpenter, who has osteoarthritis. “It broadens the body’s freedom of movement and gives you more control over your body.”
Other steps to prevent falls, according to the CDC, include:
• Exercise regularly to increase muscle mass. Programs such as Tai Chi can especially help posture and flexibility.
• Have your doctor or pharmacist review both your prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to check for side effects and interactions.
• Get your vision checked. Falling could be as simple as not being able to see.
• Eliminate home hazards such as loose carpets or clutter on floors, as well as improve home lighting.
