Falls among people, age 65 and older, are now the leading cause of injury deaths according to the National Safety Council, and 54% of those falls are occurring at home.
Each year, one in three Americans, age 65 and older, falls and nearly 16,000 die of complications from a fall. That's more than the number of deaths that would have occurred if one 737 airliner had crashed every week of the year, killing all aboard!
The good news is that falls are preventable. There are multiple risk factors that contribute to the likeliness of a fall.
These include:
- Weakness and tightness of the trunk and lower extremity musculature
- Postural compensation due to stiffness of the spine
- Taking 4 or more medications
- Dizziness and inner ear problems
In addition, if you or someone you know has experienced just one “minor” fall you may be at risk for another, more serious one.
Prevention
Arguably the most important tool we have to avoid senior falls and we have developed a comprehensive program to help address the underlying causes and risk factors involved. By tailoring our program to the individual we are able to quickly target problem areas and greatly decrease the risk of a fall as well as establishing a program to maintain a higher level of functioning.
We have a developed a fall screen to assess an individual's risk of falling. Please DO NOT PUT THIS OFF as a natural part of aging but instead, see it as a symptom with many causes that are frequently treatable.