For advertising information visit www.samplerpublications.com or call 859.225.4466 | March 2014
Avoiding
Falls
By Charles Sebastian
Most people understand the dangers of taking a fall, especially for
those 65 and older. What is not as
well known is how prevalent falling
has become. The Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
lists falling as the number one cause
of both fatal and non-fatal injuries
among older adults. One out of three
adults aged 65 and older takes a fall
every year and most don’t mention
it to their insurance, fearing a rise in
premium costs. In 2010, 2.3 million
older adults visited the ER due as a
result of a fall.
The most common cause of
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) is falls
in the older population. According to
the CDC, 46 percent of fatal falls for
adults in 2000 were due to TBI. Even
if the fall is not the end in itself, the
repercussions can lead to a decline
in the quality of living. This includes
developing such a great fear of falling
after one event that healthy and nurturing activities are reduced, which
can draw older adults to weaker
health and an earlier end. Falls also
often produce hip fractures and other
injuries that can limit one’s movement, be it temporarily or permanently. While men are more than twice
as likely as woman to die from a fall,
women are twice as likely to incur hip
fractures from falling. What’s even
more interesting is the ethnic disparity. According to the CDC, white men
over 75 are more than twice as likely
to die from a fall as black men. NonHispanics are also more likely than
Hispanics to die from a fall. While
this may seem a fluke statistic, the
same research shows white women
are twice as likely to fracture a hip
falling than their black counterparts.
With over 95 percent of hip fractures
being fall-related and some 258,000
occurring in 2010, it gives one pause
concerning preventing falls.
Exercise, of course. Exercise that
is suitable for one’s age and ability. Tai Chi is a wonderful practice
at any age, as are swimming and
other light strengthening exercises.
Developing strength and power in the
legs especially, not only allows for a
stronger base, but also increases bone
density, which becomes a huge issue
when a body impacts the ground or
“My Dad’s health was declining
and Mom struggled to care for
him. Then Mom asked about
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another object. Calcium and vitamin
D supplements are two agents that
help build bone strength, with plenty
of scientific evidence to back them
up. Ask your doctor to test you for
osteoporosis; if you are genetically
predisposed to this condition, which
weakens bone strength, there are
courses of treatment your doctor can
recommend. Take into account medications you might be prescribed that
can cause vertigo or dizziness, which
can easily lead to falling; have your
vision tested for the same reason; and
FALLS Continued on Page 47
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