Video Series Could Help Seniors Strengthen Balance

Falls are certainly a legitimate concern. Despite increased cautions to seniors about these dangers the number of people age 65 and older who are falling is increasing.

Study results show that among all adults 65 years or older, the prevalence of self-reported falls increased from 28.2 percent in 1998 to 36.3 percent in 2010, according to a recent research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

“Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed an increase in fall prevalence among older adults that exceeds what would be expected owing to the increasing age of the population,” said lead author Christine Cigolle, M.D., M.P.H. from the University of Michigan, who is a research scientist at the Ann Arbor Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), a VA Medical Center.

But there is good news and some indication that all of the warnings extended to seniors may be helping them to reap some rewards despite these falls. The researchers did not find an increase in injuries from falling.

A new video series offered by the Home Instead Senior Care^® network, Prevent Senior Falls: Balance and Assessment Exercises, could help you assess your older loved one’s potential risk of falls. The series also offers balancing and strengthening exercises that could help your older loved one to decrease this potential risk.

Most experts agree that falls should be avoided since they typically put seniors in the hospital. To check out these videos and learn more suggestions for keeping seniors safe, go to PreventSeniorHospitalizations.com.

 
For more information about the research, visit http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/prevalence-of-self-reported-falls-increases-since-1998-in-adults-over-65/