Fall Proof into Fall

Stay safe this fall. Unintentional falls are the leading cause of injury and death among older adults 65 years and older and this increases with age and peak among older adults 85 years and older. Older adults with certain medical conditions and activity limitations experience higher rates of fall injuries when compared with older adults without these conditions and the prevalence of falls and fall-related injuries is higher in females when compared to males.

Sensory processing disorders, muscle weakness, decreased joint range of motion, decreased vision and hearing, decreases in balance and gait, and fear of falling contribute to heightened fall risk. Inadequate amounts of physical activity coupled with poor diet exacerbate age-associated changes and elevate the risk for falls. The level of fall risk is not the same for all older adults and changes over time. To reduce or prevent falls we must first identify the associated riskfactors and their underlying causes.

Fall Proofing the Body

Medication and Fall Risk

Older adults taking four or more prescription medications are four times more likely to sustain a fall when compared with peers who take fewer prescription medication. Certain “fall-risk inducing drugs” have been shown to elevate the risk in older adults. The medications can be found on The Beers Criteria List of medications associated with falls among older adults. New users of antidepressants or taking a higher dose are at a greater risk for falling than individuals who have been taking them for a while.

Falls and Footwear

Going barefoot, wearing slippers, wearing shoes with very soft or slippery soles, wearing ill-fitting shoes and shoes that do not provide firm ankle support should be avoided. Footwear that features thin, hard, slip-resistant soles with a low heel height can reduce fall risk among older adults.

Fall Proofing the Body

The good news is that most falls are potentially preventable. Well-designed Physical Activity Programs with a Comprehensive Fall Risk Assessment, Behavior Counseling, and Home Safety Inspections and Modifications have been shown to significantly lower fall risk and fall incidence rates among older adults. The rate of functional decline can be reduced by as much as 23 percent and fall risk by as much as 34 percent with interventions that focus on balance, functional exercise and resistance training when compared to other forms of exercise such as Tai Chi, dance, walking or resistance training alone.

Older adults who remain physically active as they age and thereby retain good postural competence are at lower risk for falls than older adults who severely limit or reduce their levels of physical activity. Extensive research shows that older adults who participate in physical activities once a week or less were more likely to have physical, psychological, and social frailty when compared to more physically active older adults.

Exercises prescribed in the training sessions and independent home exercises directly address the biological and behavioral risk factors that are most amenable to change (e.g., muscle strength, balance and gait, and fear of falling).

The Fall Proof 24-week program (twice weekly 60 minutes training ) targets the sources of underlying impairment contributing to postural instability by combining a comprehensive screening and assessment protocol with multidimensional programming approach that includes progressive balance, gait, functional exercises and resistance training pin single- and dual task environments, and should be followed with a maintenance program that adapts to continued age-related changes and changes in medical status.

Give us a call or email to discuss reasons for joining our personalized training or physical therapy programs on improving balance, mobility and falls prevention, your expectations and moving forward.

Fall Proofing the Home

Falls in community residing older adults can be attributed mainly by environmental or extrinsic risk factors. Home modification interventions should focus on the following:

• Appropriate flooring (slip-resistant flooring, dry surfaces, no packet or carpet)

• Adequate lighting (night lights or supplemental lighting that is easy to switch on)

• Appropriate furniture (appropriate bed and chair height, beds with side rails, chairs with arm rests, handrails in bathrooms and hall way.

• Adequate layouts ( sufficient room to move and use walking aids, areas that are uncluttered and cleared of tripping hazards)

Medication and Exercise

Always notify your Health/Fitness or Balance and Mobility Specialist of any changes in Prescription Medication, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, as well as Over the Counter Medication and Supplements. Also notify your Health/Fitness professional the results of most recent bone density scan which is particularly helpful in selecting appropriate exercises.

Resources:

Fall Prevention

National Institute on Aging

Centers for Disease Control

Home Safety and Modifications

National Resource Center on Home Modifications

Medications and Fall Risk

The Beers Criteria LIst list of medications that are typically best avoided by older adults in most circumstances or under specific situations, such as in certain diseases or conditions

RX List easy website to use to learn more on medications that have been prescribed and their side effects

FallProof 3rd edition Debra J. Rose and Elizabeth White.