For many seniors, falling results in injuries associated with decreased functional independence, such as the ability to carry out activities of daily living (ADLs), reduced quality of life, less and also increased risk of a future falls and injuries from falls.
Overall, current research confirms about a third of seniors (65+) have at least one fall (e.g. hip, wrist or spine fracture or injury) annually with about half of this cohort falling more frequently; that is, at least once a year. Seniors who fall may result in hospitalization and perhaps an acute change in overall health, loss of quality of life or a chronic disability.
If you are a senior or caregiver, it is important to keen older adults functioning independently for as long as possible. The following are a few tips to maintain health and function in aging, older adults:
- Ask your Family Physician to conduct a medication review in order to determine if there is a risk of falls on account of medication side effects (e.g. dizziness) which may increase the risk of a fall.
- Conduct a safety review of your footwear to ensure you are wearing shoes with good traction (e.g. shoes with a rubber sole).
- Please make sure you have a regular vision assessment in order to ensure your eye prescriptions are up-to-date for your needs.
- Current evidence suggests exercise can significantly reduce falls. In particular, specific exercise interventions including balance exercises each week reduces the rate of falls in seniors (65+). This may apply to those who have sustained a prior fall and injury or not. Your Family Physician or Therapist can assist you to get the most out of your exercise program (e.g. a daily home-based exercise program or group classes). However, while falls can be positively reduced by regular exercise, adherence to a falls prevention exercise program is often low for seniors (65+). You may predict who will be more successful at maintaining falls prevention exercises in the long run by examining a person’s cognitive ability and whether they are able to do activities of daily living (ADLs) [see: https://www.maturitas.org/article/S0378-5122(21)00021-9/fulltext].
