Every thirteen seconds an older adult in America falls. Some end up in the emergency room, with one in five of those requiring hospitalization and a change in quality of life.
The fall season starts this weekend, which is why this is "Falls Prevention Awareness Week."
“We need to start getting people aware of the fact that there's things that can be done,” said Janene Holmberg, a physical therapist with Intermountain Health.
Holmberg helps Intermountain keep up on the best practices for rehab. As a physical therapist, she has a message with two recommendations – you can maintain your balance and fitness as you age.
“It’s been kind of a myth in the past that perhaps there's nothing to be done. And it's a natural consequence of aging, that somehow our balance gets worse. And we absolutely know that that's not true,” said Holmberg.
Holmberg said evidence supports exercise that is about movement and flexibility. And being safe isn’t about staying put.
“I think one of the other myths of aging is that if I restrict what I do, will I be safer? And I think That's one of the biggest myths that we know, if we restrict our activity, restrict what we're doing. That's probably the biggest factor that could lead to a fall in the future,” she said.
So, stay active, and talk to our doctor about any problems you’re having.
“It's not a natural consequence of aging, we have plenty of evidence that your activity level your balance skills, and actually falls or difficulty with balance can be a sign that something needs to be addressed,” said Holmberg.
A medication may affect your balance. A decline in vision could throw you off. Circulatory issues may affect how you feel the ground. There are some adjustments Holmberg likes – for instance trekking poles.
“Is there something we need to do - even something like using an assistive device. My favorite one is a trekking pole. Because we know that that's a fitness and a really cool thing, you know, you go to Nepal, not to hike anymore, but to trek.”
And she said a lot of people focus what’s on the ground and forget what’s on their feet.
“Even the shoes that we wear in our house, you know, we don't want to be walking around in slippery socks. With shoes we don't want something that's too cushy. We don't want something that's too rubber is too thick. And so we would just like something that has, you know, a good contact with the ground nonskid and a good support in the heel,” said Holmberg.
When it comes to falls, it turns out staying safe means seeking activities rather than dwelling on danger.
“If we make a commitment to our steps to our activity to our strength, we can make a difference, we can totally make a difference of how we're going to aid and we can totally make a difference as to where we're going to be living and how independent we are in the next five to 10 years,” said Holmberg.
Intermountain Health has a free exercise program called Stepping On that focuses on maintaining and improving balance and fitness as you age. You can also find some great tips for easy exercises you can do at home to prevent falls here.
