why do senior citizens fall

8/2/2019 Why Do Senior Citizens Fall

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W HY DO SENI OR CI TI ZENS FALL?

A n i n te rest i ng n o te on t he sub ject m en t i oned t he re i n - -use fu l f o r ka l

aaj au r ka l popu la t i on , f o r know ing t he o r i g i n o f t he p rob lem they

have / m ay have , f o r p repa r i ng t hem sel ves abou t w ha t t hey m ay haveto face in fu tu r e , and fo r educa t ing t hem selves to deve lop a

sympa the t i c at t i t ude t ow a rds pe rsons f aci ng t h i s p rob lem i n t he i r

c i rc les respect ive ly .

By Dr .Acha la Balasur iy a MD

Consu l tan t Phys ic ian ( Specia l I n t e res t - Elde r l y Care m ed icine )

Fa l l s am ong e lde rs i s a com m on cause o f m orb id i t y , hosp i ta l i za t ion ,

d i sab i li t y and dea th . Near l y a th i r d o f th e elde r l y have fa l l s th a t

t r i gge r a cha in o f even ts t h a t usua l ly have t hem succumb to t he

s it ua t i on o r l eave t hem bed - r i dden t i l l t he end comes . W i th age , t he

ab i l i t y o f t he body t o hea l i t se lf reduces cons ide rab ly and th e

im m un i t y d rops . The m uscles and l i gam en ts t end t o ge t m o re l ax

w i t h bones becom ing m o re b r i t t l e and po rous. Unde r t h ese

c i rcum stances , even a t r i v ia l l ook ing fa l l m ay p rove fa ta l .

* Com m on causes o f fa l l s*

Reduced m uscle st r eng th , coord ina t ion and re f lexes

Poor sensa t ion in th e low er ex t r em i t ies due to d iabe tes o r

degenera t i ve cond i t i ons

Poor ba lance due t o neur o log ical d i seases , hypo t hy r o id i sm o r ea r

p rob lems

Poor v is ion

Pos tu ra l d r op in b lood p r essure

Seizure d isorder s

St r okes , t rans ien t i schaem ic a t tacks


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Abnorm a l i t i es o f ca rd iac rhy th m

Mul t ip le m ed ica t ion use

Env i ron m enta l hazards eg poor l i gh t in g ,ca rpe ts , rugs , c lu t t e r

et c

* Os teoporos is*

Os teoporos is is a m a jo r r i sk fac to r fo r fa l l s. What i s debatab le i s

w he the r b r i t t l e bones b reak a f t e r a f a l l , o r b reak w hen s t r essed and

in t u rn cause a fa l l. I n e i th e r even t , a decrease in bone dens i t y

con t r ibu tes to f a l l s and resu l tan t i n ju r ies . Os teoporos is i s a cond i t i on

w here in bones becom e m ore po rou s , l ess resis tan t t o s t ress, and

m ore p ron e to f r actu res . Caused by h o rm ona l changes, ca lcium and

v i tam in D de f i c iency , and a dec rease in ph ys ica l act i v i t y ,

os teopo ros is is a ch ie f cause o f f rac tu res in o lder adu l ts , espec ia l ly

a m o n g w o m e n.

* Preven t i on T ips*

" Ea t o r d r ink su f f i c ien t calc ium . Pos tm enopausal w om en need 1 ,500

m g o f calc ium da i l y . Ca lcium - r i ch foods inc lude m i l k , yoghur t ,

cheese, f i sh and she l l f i sh , se lect ed veget ab les such as brocco l i ,

soybeans , to fu and a lm onds . "Ge t su f f i c ien t V i tam in D in o rder t o

enhance th e absorp t ion o f ca lcium in t o the b loods t ream . V i tam in D i s

f o rm ed na tu ra l l y i n t he body a f t e r exposu re t o sun l i gh t , bu t som e

o lder adu l t s m ay need a supp lemen t . " Regu lar l y do w e igh t -bear i ng

exerc ise .

* Lack o f Phys ical Act i v i t y *

Fa i lu re t o exerc ise regu la r l y resu l t s i n p oor m usc le ton e , dec reased

s t reng t h , and loss o f bone mass and f l ex ib i l i t y . Al l con t r ibu t e to fa l l s

and t he sever i t y o f i n j u r y due t o f a l l s.


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" Engage regu la r l y ( e .g . , eve ry o th e r day fo r abou t 15 m inu t es da i l y )

in exerc ise des igned to inc rease mu scle and bone s t r eng th , and to

im prove ba lance and f l ex ib i l i t y . " Under take da i l y act i v i t i es in a sa fem anne r , such as r each ing and bend ing p r ope r l y , t ak i ng t im e t o

recover ba lance w hen r i s ing f rom a cha i r o r bed , l ea rn ing th e p roper

w ay t o f a l l , and l earn i ng how to r ecove r a f t e r a f a l l . " Wea r p rope r

f i t t i ng , suppo r t i ve shoes w i t h l ow heel s o r r ubbe r so l es.

* I m p a ir e d Vi si o n *

Age-r e la ted v is ion d iseases can increase t he r isk o f f a l l ing . Catar ac ts

and g laucom a a l te r o lde r peop le 's dep th pe rcep t ion , v i sua l acu i t y ,

pe r iphera l v i s ion and suscep t ib i l i t y t o g la re . These l im i ta t ions h inder

the i r ab i l it y t o safe l y nego t i a te t he i r env i r onm en t , w he the r i t be i n

th e i r ow n hom e o r i n a shopp ing m a l l . Young peop le use v i sua l cues

to pe rce ive an im m inen t f a l l and t ake cor r ect i ve ac t ion . Olde r adu l t s

w i t h v i sua l im pa i rmen ts do no t have t h i s advan tage t o t he sam e

e x t e n t .


" Have regu la r checkups by an oph th a lmo log i st t o d i scern t he ex t en t

o f age- r e la ted eye d iseases such as catar ac ts and g laucom a,

m ascu la r degenera t ion e t c ." Use co lou r and con t r as t to de f ine

ba lance-a id ing ob jec ts in th e hom e (e .g . , g rab bars and handr a i l s) .

Add con t ras t ing co lou r s t r i ps to f i r s t and las t s teps to iden t i f y

change o f l eve l . "Clean eye g lasses o f ten to im prove v i s ib i l it y .

* Med icat i ons *

Peop le tak ing m u l t i p le med ica t ions are a t g rea te r r i sk o f fa l li ng

Seda t i ves , an t i -d epressan ts , and an t i -psycho t i c d rug s can con t r ibu t e

to fa l l s by reduc ing m enta l a le r tness , w orsen ing ba lance and ga i t ,

and causing d r ops in systo l i c b lood p ressure w h i le s tand ing .


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" K now the comm on s ide e f f ec t s o f a l l med i ca t i ons t aken ." Ta l k w i t h

your ph ys ician o r pharm acis t abou t w ays to reduce your chances o f

fa l l i ng by u s ing th e low es t e f fect i ve dosage , regu la r l y assess ing th eneed f o r con t i nued m ed i ca t i on , and t he need f o r w a l k i ng a ids w h i l e

tak ing m ed ica t ions tha t a f fec t balance. "Rem ove al l ou t -o f -d a te

m ed ica t ions and th ose no longer in use . L imi t i n t ake o f a l coho l as i t

m ay i n te ract w i t h m ed i ca t i on Env i r onm en ta l Hazards I ndoo rs At

least one- t h i rd o f a l l fa l l s i n th e elde r l y i nvo lve env i ronm enta l

hazards in the hom e. The m os t comm on hazard fo r fa l l s i s t r i pp ing

over ob j ects on t he f l oo r . Oth er fac to rs inc lude poor l i gh t ing , l oose

rugs , l a ck o f g rab bars o r poo r l y l o ca ted / m oun ted g rab bars , and

u n st u r d y f u r n i t u r e .


I t i s use fu l t o conduc t a w a l k - t h rough o f you r hom e to i den t i f y

possib le p rob lems th a t m ay lead to fa l l i ng .

* Ou t d o o r s*

Repa i r cracks and abrup t edges o f sidew a lks and d r i vew ays .I ns ta l l

handr a i l s on s ta i r s and s teps . Keep f l oo r d ry , devo id o f w e t a reas

and g r easy su r f aces . Keep w a lk a reas c lea r o f c lu t te r , r ocks and

m ud . I ns ta l l adequa te l igh t i ng by doo rw ays and al ong w a l kw ays

lead ing to doors ,ga tes.

* I n d oo rs*

Ensure adequa t e l i gh t ing in s ide the h ouse . Rem ove un necessary

fu r n i t u re and over c row d ing . Keep f l oo r d ry and c lean and devo id o f

w i res , toy s etc . I nd ica te steps , sta i r s by pa in t ing in con t r ast in g

co lou rs . I f pe rson has had a fa l l , he shou ld ge t h im sel f p roper l y

checked ou t by a ph ys ician to assess the r i sks o f fa l l i ng aga in and to

ensure safe ty a t h om e. Wh en you go t o see the doc to r a f t e r a fa l l

p l ease rem ember t o t e l l t he doc to r abou t a l l you r cu r ren t

m ed ica t ions and m ed ica l cond i t i ons .


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I t i s an i l lu s i on t ha t you t h i s happy ;

an i l l usion o f those w ho have lost i t .

- - - - - -W .Som erse t Maugham .

No m an i s so o ld as to be l ieve he canno t

l i ve one m ore year .

- - - - - - Sean O Casey.

Th e m a n w h o v i ew s t h e w o r l d at f i f t y t h e sa m e a s h e d id a t t w e n t y

has w as ted th i r t y years o f h i s l i f e .

- - - - - - -Moham m ed A l i.

Prevent ing Fa l ls fo r Sen ior Ci t izens: Ba lance Prob lem s and The

Elder ly

Prevent ing Fa l ls fo r Sen ior Ci t izens: Ba lance Prob lem s and The

Elder ly

Sen ior Medica l Aler t :

A l o t o f o l de r peop le have t r oub le w i t h ba lance and ge t t i ng a round

sa fely . There a re m any com m on and se r ious p rob lem s associa ted

w i th b a lance , th e b iggest on e be ing fa l l s and ano th er be ing a loss o f

independence and m ob i l i t y . The fea r o f f a l l i ng can cause the e lde r l y

to lose con f idence and cons ide r m ov ing in t o an e lde r ca re faci l i t y .

The good n ew s i s th a t m any o f t he causes o f l oss o f ba lance , fal l s

and ins tab i l i t y can be t rea ted success fu l l y .

How com m on a re f a ll r e l ated i n j u r i es amongs t t he e lde r l y?

Abou t one th i rd o f peop le over age 65 fa l l each year . Over age 75

tha t l i ke l i hood inc reases t o 50% . A good po r t i on on peop le ove r age

65 say t hey have t r oub le get t i ng a round .


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Wh a t a re t he b igges t causes o f fa l l s fo r sen io r c i t i zens?

There a re severa l cu lp r i t s ; env i r onm enta l hazards ( l i ke t r i pp ing over

c lu t t e r , poor l i gh t in g , s l i ppery f l oo rs and rugs tha t a re no t p r oper l y

secured) m uscle w eakness, poor b a lance , v i sion p r ob lem s, d i zz iness

and m ed icina l s ide e f fects l i ke con fus ion o r d i zziness.

How can you r educe you r r i s k o f f a l li ng?

Ta lk to you r phy s ician and ge t eva lua ted . Ge t your s t reng t h and

ba lanced m easured and have your m ed ica t ions reeva lua ted fo r

poss ib le s ide e f fec ts . To redu ce you r chance o f fa l l ing you can have

your p rescr ip t ions mod i f i ed , beg in an exerc ise p rogram , get ph ys ica l

t he rapy o r pu rchase a cane o r w a l ke r t o m ake get t i ng a round easie r .

Wha t a re t he w a rn ing s igns t ha t you r e a t a h i ghe r r i s k o f f a l l r el a ted

in j u r i es?

Do you have t r oub le get t i ng up f r om a seated pos it i on w i t hou t us i ng

your h ands? Tha t cou ld be a sign o f m uscu la r w eakness. I s your

ba lance uns teady? Does i t t ake you a long t im e to m ove a round? Are

you t ak ing m ed ica t ions th a t i nd ica te possib le side e f fects inc lude

d izziness o r con fus ion? Are you over age 75? I f you answ ered yes

to any o f t hese ques t ions , you a re in t he h igh r i sk g r oup .

How can m ed ica l em ergency ala rm s he lp?

A qua l i t y sen io r m ed ica l a le r t sys tem can you t he he lp you need fast .

Many fa l l s can resu l t i n se r ious in ju r y , l ong te rm hosp i ta l i zat ion o r


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even dea th i f m ed ica l he lp doesn t ar r i ve qu ick ly . We recom m end

L i fes ta t ion as an a f fo rdab le and re l i ab le em ergency cal l bu t ton fo r

sen iors .

Wh at causes d izz iness upon s tand ing?

A sudden d r op in b lood p ressure i s th e com m on cause , a l so know n

as or t hos ta t i c hypo tens ion ) . I t can be b rough t abou t by d i abe tes,

Park inson s d i sease, hear t f a i l u re , d rop in b lood vo lu m e,

dehydr a t ion , i n fect ion , and a num ber o f m ed ica t ions (such as

d iu re t i cs and b lood p r essure m ed icines ) . A less com m on cause i s

caused by abnorm a l i t i es in th e inner -ea r .

D izz iness i s a ve ry com m on p rob lem , a f fect in g over tw o m i l l i on

A mer i cans . A bou t e i gh t m i l l ion r epo r t p rob lems w i t h ba lance.

A ba lance d iso rder i s a d i s tu rbance o f th e inner ea r t ha t can m ake

peop le fee l uns teady o r as if th ey w ere mov ing , sp inn ing , o r f l oa t ing .

Ba lance d iso rders a re one cause o f fa l l s and fa l l - re la ted in ju r ies ,

such as h ip f r actu re .

Wh at t ypes o f ba lance d iso rders a re th e re?

Balance d isord ers can be caused by a var ie ty o f d isord ers . Ben ign

paroxy sma l pos i t i ona l ve r t i go o r BPPV is ve ry com m on am ong th e

e lder ly . BPPV causes a shor t las t ing , st r ong sense o f ver t igo t hathappens w hen you m ove head . Ro l l i ng over in bed , l ook ing up o r any

ot her chan ge in head pos i t ion can t r igger a loss o f ba lance. BPPV is

t r i ggered w hen t i n y calc ium s tones in th e inner ear ge t d i sp laced

crea t ing a fee l ing o f d i zz iness o r ve r t i go .

Wha t can you do t o m ake you r hom e sa fer and r educe f a ll s?

Have your hom e inspec ted by a sen io r hea l th ca re spec ia l i st . Have

any loose f l oo r ing secured , m ake su re t he en t i re hom e i s w e l l li t and

keep t he f l oo rs c lear o f c lu t t e r . Have an t i - s l i p s t r i ps p laced in p lacesl i ke ba th r oom s and any h igh ly po l i shed f l oo rs .

Wh at t y pe o f cane , w a lke r o r scoote r i s bes t fo r reduc ing fa l l s?


8/22

Speak to your doc to r o r p hys ica l the rap is t t o f i nd t he best sa fe ty

p rodu c t fo r y ou based upon your needs and ex is t ing cond i t i ons . Fo r

som e a sim p le cane w i l l do , o the rs m ay requ i r e m o re suppor t .

A m ed ica l a ler t dev ice fo r sen io rs m akes g rea t sense fo r peop le w ho

are a t a h igh r i sk o f fa l l i ng .

Act i v i t y I deas fo r Elde r l y Sen io r Ci t i zens

I m prove V is i t s - Easy Gam es and I deas to Keep Sen io rs Act i ve &

Aler t

Elde r l y sen io rs need in te res t ing ac t i v i t i es , fun gam es & th ings to doto he lp keep m em ory sharp and bod ies st r ong . These s imp le ac t i v i t y

ideas he lp sen io r c i t i zen h ea l th .

Fam i l y m em bers , f r i ends , act i v i t y d i r ecto r s , and sen io r c i t i zen

compan ion s are o f ten look ing fo r i n t e rest in g ideas fo r t h ings to do

w i th hom e-bound sen io rs and t he e lde r l y i n adu l t ca re faci l i t i es .

Engag ing and tak ing p leasure in v i s i t s w i th fa i l i ng , fo rge t f u l , o r w eak

sen io r c i t i zens i s possib le w i th a l i t t l e ef fo r t and crea t i v i t y . I m proved

t im e spen t t oge ther i s up l i f t i ng t o a l l invo lved and can crea te n icememor i es .

Every ind iv idua l o lde r pe rson w i l l have the i r ow n tas tes , capab i l i t i es

and p r e fe rences , o f course . The ideas p resen ted h ere m ay be

adap ted to f i t you r ow n s i tua t ion and your sen io r ' s l i kes . Sen io r ca re

shou ld a lw ays be as person a l ized as poss ib le .

Fo l l ow ing a re easy i deas f o r t h i ngs t o do t o b r i ng ou t t he

pe rsona l it y , ene rgy , and hum or i n you r o l der f am i l y m embers o r

f r i ends w i t h s im p le act i v i t i e s.


9/22

Engage Elde rs w i th Fun o r I n t e res t ing New Gadge ts

Som e hom e bound o l de r peop le have no t had m uch exposu re t o

recen t e lec t ron ic t echno logy . An iPad , a Blackber r y , o r som e o th e r

" new - fang led " ob ject cou ld be of i n t e res t t o a sen io r .

A d i g it a l camera i sn ' t m uch o f a nove lt y f o r younge r f o l k , bu t f o r a

o lde r sen io r c i t i zen , one can be qu i te in t e res t ing . Take pho t os o f the

sen io r ' s favo r i te peop le , i tems , o r an im a ls. Pic tu res can be m ade in to

a s li de show o r p r in ted and p laced in a b inder . Le t t he sen io r t ake

p ic tu res too .

D ig it a l pho tog raphs m ay be com b ined w i t h ask i ng quest i ons and

tak ing no t es to c rea te a sen io r c i t i zen 's l i f e h i sto r y , a w eek ly jou r na l

o r a fun scrapbook . Sc rapbook ing i s an act i v i t y t ha t can be adap ted

to su i t i nd iv idua l t as tes and ab i l i t i es .

Exerc ise i s I m por t an t fo r Sen io r Ci t i zen Phys ica l and Menta l Hea l th

For o lde r Am er icans , reve rsal o f t he b ra in sh r ink age tha t occurs as

peop le age is j us t one bene f i t o f g rea te r p hys ical ac t i v i t y , accord ing

to research pu b l i shed in The Journa l o f Geron t o logy : Med ical

Sc iences ( Vo l . 61A, No. 11) .

Here a re som e w ays exerc ise can be inco rpora t ed in to t he l i ves o f

th e e lde r l y :

Fr iends and fam i l y can encourage con t in ua t ion o f p r esen t p hys ical

act i v i t i es and hobb ies .

I f w a lks a re appropr ia te , a st r o l l on a n ice day i s a fun and easy w ay

to pass t im e w i th a sen io r . Even push ing a sen io r i n a w hee lcha i r

ou t s ide can encourage h im o r he r t o po in t t o f l ow ers , pe ts , and such .

I f a sen io r h as been inac t i ve , one m ay s t i l l be ab le to encourage

regu la r exe rc ise. A doc to r o r ph ys ica l the rap is t m ay p rov ide

appropr ia te exerc ise and equ ipm ent sugges t ions .

See w ha t t y pes o f exe rc ise a f ra i l sen io r can to le ra te . Accord ing t o

Apr i l 2 00 2 issue o f th e Jour na l o f Geron t o logy: B io log ica l Sc iences,

res istance t ra in in g exerc ise jus t one day a w eek can g ive o lde r


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adu l t s t he s t r eng th t o m a in ta i n t he i r i ndependence and t o avo id

in j u r ies ( Researchers Sco t t Trappe , Dav id W i l l i amson , and Michae l

Godard ) .

I deas for Phys ical ly or Men ta l ly Fra i l Sen ior s or Elder ly

So f t c lay - l i ke p rod uc ts ( Scu lpy c ra f t i ng m ate r ia l o r P lay -Doh , fo r

ins tance) o r specia l exe rc ise i tem s ( such as ba l l s ) can be

m an ipu la ted o r squeezed to he lp st r eng th en the hands .

Sim p le toys can be a good op t ion fo r k eep ing sen io rs act i ve w h i le

encourag ing hand-eye coord ina t ion . Baby and in fan t toy s are

genera l l y co lo r fu l , so f t - co rnered , easy to g r asp , and m ind

s t im u la t ing . The amu s ing Tang le toy p ic tu red be low i s an

am usement f o r a l l ages.

Gam es can he lp s t im u la te th e min d . Som e e lde r l y fo l k en j oy

Scrabb le , c r ibbage, or card gam es, w h ich use a var ie ty o f sk i l l s . Ask

abou t i n d iv idua l p re fe rences .

Jus t abou t any show o r m ov ie i s ava i lab le today .Many p rogr am s a re

a lso ava i lab le to v iew fo r f ree on l ine .

Show s l i ke An im a l Plane t ( a cab le channe l ) , v ideos o f young ch i ld ren

or bab y an im als , and c lassic mu s icals are good for a l l ages and can

be f unny and up l if t i ng . Wa tch al ong w i t h you r sen ior . I t ' s m uch mo re

fun t o l augh w i t h a com pan ion .

Som e g rea t m us ica ls include The Mus ic Man ( 1962 ) , The Sound o f

Musi c ( 1965 ) , The Wizard o f O z (1939 ) , Br i gadoon (19 54 ) , and

Sing in ' i n t he Ra in (1 952 ) . Ask sen io rs abou t t he i r favo r i t e o lder

f i lms .

Many sen io rs en joy gam e show s , science p rogr am s, o r v in t age

te lev is ion . There a re cab le ne tw ork s ded ica ted t o each o f th ese

ty pes o f show s. The Discovery Chan nel covers scient i f i c sub j ec ts , fo r

ins tance .

Ques t ions to Ask abou t th e Sen io r ' s Ch i ldhood


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Who w as h i s or he r best f r i end and w hy?

Wha t games d i d he o r she l ike t o p l ay?

Wha t w as t he best b i r t hday p resen t he o r she ever go t?

Did he o r she ever have a n icknam e?

Put on a tape recorder o r cam corder and save p r i celess mem or ies tokeep fo rever . Add to i t on each v i s i t .

Br ing Chi ld r en and Sm al l , Safe An im als to V is i t Senor Ci t izens

Ch i ld ren and bab ies can be a ra re s igh t f o r o lde r fo l k s in a re t i rem ent

hom e o r o th e r sen io r care . There a re s ign i f i can t bene f i t s to o ld and

young t ha t m igh t come f r om g rea te r age i n teg ra t i on ( Uh lenbe rg , P,

The Ge ron to l og i st ; v4 0 n3 , p276 -279 ; Ma r 20 00 ) . I n l i eu o f t he r ea l

th ing , b r ing p ic tu r es o r v ideos .

Many o l der f o l k s m i ss t he i r compan ion pe t s . Bo r row a puppy , k i t t en

or baby ch ick fo r t he day and b r ing i t i n an appropr ia te box . Be

care fu l t o avo id sc ra tches o r b i tes as e lders o f t en have f r ag i le sk in .

The Ju ly 2 00 2 issue o f Journ a l o f Geron t o logy : Medica l Sc iences,

found t ha t even one an ima l -ass is ted the rapy sess ion o f 30 m inu t es

per w eek w as ef fec t i ve in r educ ing lone l iness . See Dogp lay on l ine

fo r m o re i n fo rma t i on on t h i s t ype o f t he rapy .

Act i v i t i es and I deas fo r Mus ica l Sen io rs

Try s i ng ing o l d - t im e songs l i ke I n t he Good Ol ' Sum m er t im e .

Search on l ine fo r w ords to hym ns , ea r l y ba rbershop quar t e t songs ,

and c lass ic cam p ing t unes . A h igh ly r a ted campf i r e songbook on

Am azon .com is Cam pf i re Songs by I rene Maddox ( Globe Pequo t Pr ;

2nd ed i t i on , Ap r i l 1994 ) o r you can l ook a t t he book The Am er i can

Song T reasury : 1 00 Favor i tes by Theodore Raph ( Dover

Pub l i ca t ions ,Oc tober 1 986 ) .

Jus t abou t eve ryon e know s ch i ld rens ' tunes such as Tw ink le Tw ink le

L i t t l e Sta r , How Much i s Tha t Dogg ie in t he Win dow , and Take Me

Out to t he Ba ll Gam e.

I n a sen io r g roup set t i ng , a cho i r o r band cou ld be f o rm ed .

The Bra in an d Body Conn ect ion


12/22

Trea tm ents to k eep the b ra in hea l thy can be jus t as e f fect i ve as

exerc ise i s fo r t he body , accord ing to th e la tes t specia l i ssue o f The

Jour na l o f Geron t o logy : Psycho log ica l Sc iences ( accord ing t o th e

June 1 5 , 2007 p ress re lease f rom The Geron t o log ica l Soc iety ( byguest ed i t o r Ne i l Char ness, PhD of Flor id a Sta t e Un iv ers i t y )

My g rand fa the r l o ved rec it i ng m emor i zed poet r y t o m e even a t t he

age o f 99 . I n h i s case, ta l k ing l i t e ra t u re and p r ose, o r chem is t ry and

phys i cs , w as m uch mo re i n te res t i ng t han any game I cou ld t h i nk u p .

He w as a teacher and loved shar ing kn ow ledge . Tapp ing in t o h is

persona l i n te res ts he lped keep h is mind ac t i ve and s t ron g a l l th i s

l i fe .

When v i s i t i ng w i t h sen io r s a t hom e o r i n an e l de r l y ca re hom e , i t ' s

im po r tan t t o b r i ng up o l d m emor i es , de l igh t t hem w i t h t h i ngs t ha t

w i l l engage the i r senses, and j us t have a l i t t l e fun . En j oy ing v i s i t s

w i th a sen io r w i l l en r i ch t w o l i ves a t once . For m ore ideas, read

abou t Fun V isi t s W i th Sen io r Ci t i zens and Mem ory He lp fo r Sen io rs .

Precau t ions can p reven t sen io r -c i t i zen fa l l s

As sen io r c i t i zens age , the i r h ea l th r i sks inc rease . Tha t ' s w hy Rex

Senior Hea l th Cent er 's Dr . Leroy Dark es l i kes to see h is elder ly

pa t i en t s o f t en .

" I t h i nk t ha t ou r sen io r s shou ld ge t every second o f qua l i t y l i f e t ha t

th ey possib l y can , and tha t beg ins w i th good p r even t ion , " said

Darkes . He l i kes to k eep h is pa t ien t s up to da te on a num ber o f

hea l th sc reen ings inc lud ing :

V ision and g laucoma checks

Mamm org ram s fo r w om en and p rosta te cancer screen ing f o r men

Colono scop ies to check for co lorec ta l cancer

Regu la r b lood-p ressure and cho leste ro l checks .


13/22

Updat ing vaccina t ions fo r pn eum on ia , te t anus and sh ing les .

An annua l f l u sho t

Darkes says tha t som et im es th e g rea test t h rea t t o sen io rs ' hea l th i s

r i g h t a t h o m e .

" A s w e age ," he said , " w e becom e mor e f r ag i le , m o re l i kel y t o i n j u re

our h ead , sus ta in a head in j u ry w h ich cou ld be ve ry devas ta t ing . "

Sen io rs also m ay f rac tu re a bone , w h ich imm ob i l i zes them , and tha t

can eas i l y l ead t o o t he r h ea l th concerns .

Fo r 79 -y ear -o l d He rm ena Hun te r , r heuma to id a r t h r i t i s m akes he r

even m ore vu lne rab le to a fa l l . Tha t ' s w hy she 's made some changes

a t h o m e .

" The re w as g rave l i n t he d r i vew ay , so I w as ab le t o ge t t he d r i vew ay

pour ed w i th concre te , " she sa id . She a lso added mor e ra i l i ng a t th e

f ron t s teps and carpe t ing to cover a s li ck w ood f l oo r i ns ide .

" A nd I t r i ed t o choose t he cor rec t k i nd o f shoes t o w ear , t oo , t o keep

f rom s l ipp ing and fa l l i ng , " said Hun t e r . She a lso uses a cane to k eep

her s teady and t r i es to k eep her hom e f ree o f t r i p hazards l i ke loose

rugs .

Those sim p le p recau t ions m ay he lp he r to s tay independen t i n he r

ow n hom e " f o r as l ong as I poss ib l y can . I l o ve t o be sel f - su f f i c ien t , "

sa id Hun t e r .

Da rkes says i t ' s ve r y im po r tan t f o r adu l t ch il d ren t o he lp t he i r

pa ren t s el im ina te f a l l r i s ks in t he hom e and t o encou rage t hem to

use a w a lk ing dev ice i f needed .

Som e o f t he sugges t ions Rex Hea lth care rehab i l i t a t i on p ro fess iona ls

m ake on f a l l s p reven t i on :

Proper foo tw ear ( rub ber -so led shoes)

Keep f l oo rs d ry and f ree o f clu t te r t o m in im ize s l i p and t r i p hazards

Remove o r secu re dow n any t h r ow rugs t ha t m ay sl i de.


14/22

K eep a reas w e l l- l i t i f t h ey a re t o be w a l ked a t n i gh t ( n i gh t l i gh t s )

Have ra i l i ngs ins ta l l ed on s ta i r s .

Use t he ba th room j us t be fo re bed t o l im i t t h e num be rs o f t r i p s a t

n i g h t .

When chang ing posi t i ons ( l y i ng dow n to s i t t i ng , s it t i ng t o s tand ing )

t ake a m inu te t o k eep f r om be ing t oo d i zzy .

I f you have been p rescr i bed and show n how to use a w a l k i ng dev i ce ,

use i t .

Ta l k w i t h you r phys i ci an and / o r pha rm aci st abou t s i de e f f ec t s o f

m ed ica t ions and take th em as p rescr ibed

The cond i t i ons t ha t a f f ect m any sen io rs can a lso inc rease your r i sk

o f fa l l i ng .

Since phys ica l changes and m any cond i t i on s a re a pa r t o f ag ing , i t ' s

no t a lw ays possib l e t o r em ove t hese b l ocks f r om you r r i s k t ow e r .

Learn ing h ow th ese m ed ica l cond i t i ons lead to fa l l s i s th e f i r s t s tep

tow a rds unders tand ing t he r i s ks.

I f you have th en fa l l s can be a concern because

Hear t d i sease o r fa i l u re ( CHF) Hear t cond i t i ons can cause

d izziness, ba lance p rob lem s, mu scle w eakness and fa t igu e , even

w i th on ly s l i gh t exe r t ion . Hear t d i sease is a l so f r equen t l y assoc iated

w i t h r esp i r ato r y d i f f i cu l t i e s, w h i ch can resu l t i n m any o f t he sam e

fa l l s- re la ted cond i t i ons .

Had a s t r oke St rok es o f t en resu l t i n m uscle w eakness, and / o r

sensory im ba lances on one s ide o f th e body , w h ich can comp rom ise

one s ab i l i t y t o m ove abou t sa fe ly .

Park in son s D isease Trem ors , s t i f f ach ing m uscles, and s low l im i ted

m ovemen t ( especia ll y w hen t he pe rson t r i e s t o m ove f r om a res t i ng

pos i t i on ) a re a l l fa l l s r i sks associa ted w i th Park in son s. A pe rson

w i th Park inson 's d i sease i s l ike ly t o tak e sm a l l steps and shu f f l e

w i t h h i s o r he r f ee t c lose t oge the r , bend f o rw a rd s li gh t l y a t t he w a i st


15/22

( s tooped postu re ) , and have t roub le tu r n ing a roun d . Balance and

pos tu r e p rob lem s may r esu l t i n f requen t fa l l s , especia l l y as th e

d isease prog resses.

Low b lood p ressure Low b lood p ressure , pa r t i cu la r l y w hen r i s ing

f rom a l y ing o r s i t t i ng pos i t i on , i s a com m on cause o f fa l ls due to

d i zz iness and / o r f a i n t i ng .

Chron ic obst r uc t i ve pu lm onary d isease ( COPD) The shor t ness o f

b rea th t ha t i s caused by COPD ( ch ron ic b ronch i t i s and / o r

emphy sem a) can m ake you f eel w eak , d i zzy o r f a i n t , even w hen you

do s imp le th ings l i ke ge t d ressed o r f i x a m ea l .

D iabetes D iabetes can cause a loss o f fee ling in the fee t (d iabe t i c

neu ropathy ) , w h i ch compr om ises you r ba lance and sense o f w he re

obs tac les and un even foo t in g m ay be a hazard .

A r th r i t i s The l oss o f j o i n t f l e x i b il i t y due t o ar t h r i t i s m akes i t

d i f f i cu l t t o m a in ta in a sa fe gai t , to avo id po ten t ia l l y dangerous

obs tac les , and m a in ta in ba lance.

V ision p rob lem s A decrease in v i s ion , w he th er caused by

g laucoma and ca ta rac ts , o r j us t ag ing eyes , m akes i t fa r m ore

d i f f i cu l t t o jud ge d is tance and avo id obstac les th a t cou ld t r i p you up .

Th i s i s na tu ra l l y a pa r t i cu la r conce rn a t n i gh t o r w hen i n t h e da rk .

Men ta l con fus ion Men ta l con fus ion can inc rease th e chance o f a

fa l l si nce i t m ay be mo re d i f f i cu lt t o de te rm ine w he the r an act i v i t y i s

pu t t i ng one a t g rea te r r i s k , o r i t m ay t ake l onger t o r espond t o a

s it ua t i on w he re a f a l l m igh t o th e rw i se be aver t ed .

MEDI CATI ONS

A l though m ed i ci nes he lp you s tay w e l l, t hey can pu t you a t r i sk f o r

fa l l i ng .

Th is i s especia l l y t r ue i f y ou a re t ak ing severa l m ed ica t ions severa l

t im es a day . There a re th r ee reasons w hy :

Som e d rug s have side e f fects , and m ay m ake you f ee l d i zzy ,

con fused o r o the r w ise less ab le to p r even t a fa l l .


16/22

Tw o o r m o re d rugs m ay i n te ract i n a w ay t ha t p r oduces undesi r ab le

s ide e f fec ts .

No t fo l l ow ing th e docto r s orde rs . Sen io rs m igh t d o th i s because

th ey fo rge t , o r f i nd t he i r m ed ica t ion schedu le too comp l i ca ted , o r are

d ismayed by th e s ide e f fec ts .

W HAT YOU CAN D O

Keep a com p le te , dated l i s t o f th e m ed ica t ions you tak e and b r ing i t

t o y ou r doc to r f o r a m ed i ca t i on checkup . Remem ber t ha t

med i cat i ons mean t he p rescr i p t i ons t ha t you ge t f r om you r doc to r ,

as w e l l as th ose non-p rescr ip t ions d rugs , pa in re l i eve rs , he rba l

r em ed ies and o the r t r ea tm en ts you get a t t h e pharm acy o r m a rke t .

To p r in t a copy o f a handy pu rse -s ized fo rm th a t you can use fo r t h i s

pu rpose, dow n load t h i s check l is t now .

Repo r t any new symp t om s to you r docto r r i gh t aw ay , w ho w i l l he l p

you dec ide i f the sym ptom s a re side e f fects caused by th e

med i ca t i on .

A lw ays take m ed ica t ions as d i rec ted . I t s easie r to keep t r ack o f you r

m ed icat i ons - w h i ch ones t o t ake and exact l y w hen t o t ake t hem - i f

you u se a m ed icine o rgan ize r , a m ed icine d ispenser , o r ask your

pharm acis t to d i spense your m ed ica t ions in a b l i ste r pack .

Com b ine a l l you r p r esc r ip t ions w i th a s ing le pharm acy . Tha t w ay ,

you r ph a rm aci st can m o re eas il y r ev i ew you r m ed i ca t i ons and

com m un i cate any conce rns he o r she may have w i t h y ou r doc to r s .

Toge the r , t hey m igh t decide t o t r y chang ing one o r m o re o f you r

m edicat ions, dosages, e tc .

LEARN HOW MEDI CI NES I NCREASE YOUR RI SK

I f you . .. t han fa l ls can be a concern because

tak e fou r o r m ore m ed ica t ions tha t a r e ei th e r p rescr ibed o r rece ived

over - t he -coun te r , i nc lud ing he rba l rem ed ies, pa in re l ieve rs ,

v i tam ins , and d ie ta ry supp lement s . The m ore m ed ica t ions you take ,

t he m o re l i kel y i t m ay be t ha t you expe r i ence d rug i n te rac t i ons

and / o r s ide e f fects th a t can inc rease your r i sk o f fa l l i ng . These s ide

e f fects m ay m ake you lose your ba lance, becom e d row sy , b lu r you r


17/22

v is ion and m ake you feel w eak o r d i zzy .Over - t he -coun te r p r oduc ts

m ay a lso in t e rac t w i th p r escr ip t ion m ed icines and inc rease the r i sk

o f s ide e f fec ts w h ich can a lso inc rease your chances o f fa l l i ng .

tak e med ica t ion fo r h igh b lood p r essure H igh b lood p ressure

m ed ica t ions can m ake you fee l l i gh t -headed o r d i zzy w hen you f i r s t

s t and up f r om a cha i r , o r w hen you ge t up ou t o f bed i n t he m o rn ing .

Th is i s ca l led pos tu r a l hyp o tens ion .

d r i nk a l coho l When m ixed w i t h m ed i ci nes, even a l i t t l e b i t o f

a l coho l can m ake you fee l d row sy and d izzy and inc rease your r i sk o f

fa l l i ng .

YOUR STRENGTH & BALANCE

Som e peop le t h i nk t ha t t he best t h i ng t o do i f you ve f a l len , or i fyou re a f ra id o f fa l l i ng , i s to be less act i ve . Wh y t ake th e chance o f

fa l l i ng aga in , r i gh t ? We l l , research show s tha t sen io rs w ho a re less

act i ve a re m ore l i ke ly to f a l l , because they lack the s t r eng th and

ba lance and t hey need t o res ist f a l l s. Th is i s w hy h ea l thca re

pro fess iona ls recomm end s ta r t i n g a regu la r exe rc ise rou t ine o f any

k ind even i f you s ta r t by t ak i ng on l y a f ew s teps every day .

Exerc ise m ay imp rove your

St reng t h and s tamina

Giv ing you r hear t , l ungs and the res t o f y our ca rd iovascu la r

system even a m odest w o rkou t can m ake a t r emendous d i f f erence i n

the w ay you f ee l, i n you r ene rgy l evel , and i n t he w ay you go abou t

en joy in g l i f e as best y ou can .

Balance

When you w e re ve ry young , you had t o l ea rn t o ba lance you rse lf ,

and un less you con t inu e to u se your ba lance under sa fe cond i t i ons ,th i s v i ta l sk i l l d im in ishes. Ba lance a lso he lps you t o keep t he m ass o f

you r body ove r you r f eet , w h i ch he lps you m a in ta i n you r s tab il i t y

w h e n m o v i n g y o u r w e ig h t f r o m o n e po si t i on t o a n o t h e r .

Gait


18/22

Rega in som e o f the sp r ing in you r s tep , and p ract i ce w a lk ing

( e i t he r a lone , o r w i t h a cane o r w a l ke r ) w i t h a s t r onge r , safe r and

m ore f l u i d gai t .

Ref lexes

Exerc ise can m ake you m ore respons ive and he lp you reac t m ore

sa fely to obs tac les in your pa th and o t he r po t en t ia l dangers .

How to Ge t S ta r ted Exerc is ing

YOUR HOME ENVI RONMENT

Most f a l ls happen a t hom e w he re w e spend m ost o f ou r t ime . Fact i s

t ha t as w e get o l de r , it em s i n ou r hom e tha t used t o be v i r t ua l l y

harm less sta r t to pose a g rea te r r i sk . Sta i r s , ba th room s, d im ly l i t

ha l lways , a li t t l e ex t r a c lu t t e r a round t he house even pe t s

under f oo t can be dangerous .

The good new s is tha t m os t o f th ese poss ib le hom e sa fe ty hazards

can be m in im i zed . A l l it t a kes i s som e t im e and a t t en t i on and

m aybe t he ass is tance o f a f r i end o r f am i l y m ember be fo re an

un fo r tu na te acc iden t happens .

Learn how m ak ing a f ew s im p le changes t o you r hom e can reduce

you r r i sk o f f a l l ing .

FALL FACTS

The best t im e to ge t a m ed ica t ion checkup i s be fo re you s ta r t a new

presc r ip t ion .

HOW OFTEN FALLS OCCUR

About on e th i rd o f t he e lder popu la t ion over t he age of 65 fa l l s each

year , and t he r i sk o f fa l l s i nc reases p ropor t ion a te ly w i th age . At 8 0

years , ove r h a l f o f sen io rs fa l l annua l l y .

As a la rm ing as they a re , these docum ented s ta t i s t i cs fa l l sho r t o f

t he ac tua l num be r s i nce

m any inc iden ts are un r epor t ed by sen io rs and unr ecogn ized by

fami l y m embers o r ca reg ive r s.


19/22

Frequen t f a l l ing . Those w ho f a l l a re tw o t o t h ree t im es m o re l i ke ly

to f a l l aga in .

A bou t ha l f ( 53% ) o f t he o l der adu l t s w ho a re d ischa rged f o r f a ll -

r e l ated h i p f r actu r es w i l l expe r i ence ano the r f a l l w i t h i n s ix m on ths .

Wh at Happens A f te r a Fa l l Fa l l s a re the lead ing cause o f dea th due t o in ju ry am ong t he e lde r l y

87% o f a l l f r actu r es in t he e lde r l y a re due t o f a l l s.

Fa l ls accoun t f o r 25% o f a l l hosp i t a l admissi ons, and 40% o f a l l

nu r s i ng home admissi ons 40% o f t hose admi t t ed do not r e tu r n t o

i ndependen t l i v i ng ; 25% d ie w i t h i n a yea r .

Many fa l l s do no t resu l t i n i n j u r ies , yet a la rge percen tage o f non-

i n j u r ed f a l le r s ( 47% ) canno t ge t up w i t hou t assi stance.

Fo r t he e lde r l y w ho f a l l and a re unab le t o ge t u p on t h e i r ow n , t he

pe r i od o f t im e spen t im m ob i l e o f t en a f f ect s t he i r hea l t h ou t com e .

Musc le ce l l b reakdow n s ta r t s t o occu r w i t h i n 30 -60 m inu tes o f

compr ess ion due to f a l l i ng . Dehydra t ion , p ressure so res ,

hypo the rm ia , and pneumon ia a re o the r com p l i ca t i ons t ha t m ay

resu l t .

Ge t t i ng he lp a f te r an im m ob i l i z ing fa ll imp roves the chance o f

su r v i va l by 80% and i ncreases t he l i ke l ihood o f a r e tu rn t o

independen t l i v ing .

Up t o 40% o f peop le w ho have a st r ok e have a ser i ous f al l w i t h i n

the nex t yea r .


20/22

Fear of Fal l in g

W hy Seniors Fal l

W here Sen ior s Fa l l

Fa l ls Are A Nat iona l Hea l th Pr io r i t y

FEAR OF FALLI NG

2 0 % t o 3 0 % o f se n io r s fe ar f a ll i n g.

90% pe rcen t o f f a l l s t ha t do no t r esu l t i n i n j u r y can st i l l have a

de t r im en ta l im pact on hea l t h and w e l l- be i ng . 30 -50% o f e lde rs

repor t th a t fea r o f ano t her fa l l resu l t s i n l oss o f con f idence and se lf -

im posed rest r i c t i on o f ac t i v i t i es , th e reby inc reasing t he r i sk o f fa l l s .

W HY SENI ORS FALL

A sum m ary o f 12 s tud ies ci t es t he f o ll ow ing m ost com m on reasons

fo r f a l l s. The e f fect o f d ru gs on th e e lde r l y , and th e d i f f i cu l t i es

sur rou nd ing m ed ica t ion com p l iance, are a lso be l ieved to b e the roo t

cause fo r m any o f f a l l s i nc iden ts .


21/22

W HERE SENI ORS FALL

55% o f a l l f al l s t ake p l ace i nsi de t he hom e .

More th an th r ee -quar te r s take p lace e ith e r i ns ide o r i n close

p rox im i t y t o t he hom e , w he re a med i ca l al e r t s ystem can be o fim m ed ia te ass istance .

More fa l l i n j u r ies a re caused by fa l l s on th e sam e leve l ( vs . sta i r s )

and f r om a stand ing h i gh l i gh t , i .e . t r i pp i ng w h i l e w a l k i ng .

W HAT I F YOU DO FALL?

Even i f y ou re ca re fu l , a fa l l m igh t s t i l l happen . Heal thca re exper t s

recom m end tha t you t hen p repare you rsel f by know ing tw o t h i ngs :

How to ge t u p : A f u l l i ll u s t r a t i on g i ven i n nex t page

How to ca ll som eone f o r he lp . Have you r ow n conven ien t m e thod

l i ke w i re l ss sensor e tc .


22/22

How to get up from a fall

1: Prepare

2: Rise

3: Sit

Look around for a sturdy piece of

furniture, or the bottom of a staircase.

Dont try and stand up on your own.

Getting up quickly or the wrong way could

make an injury worse. If you are hurt, call

for help using a medical alert service or

a telephone.

Slowly get up on your hands and

knees and crawl to a sturdy chair.

Place your hands on the seat of the chair

and slide one foot forward so it is flat on

the floor.

Sit for a few minutes before you try and do

Roll over onto your side by turning

your head in the direction you are

trying to roll, then move your

shoulders, arms, hips, and finally

your leg over.

Push your upper body up. Lift your

head and pause for a few moments

to steady yourself.

Keep the other leg bent with the knee on

the floor.

From this kneeling position, slowly rise and

turn your body to sit in the chair.

why do senior citizens fall

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