21 Jun Falls and Older Adults.
Pretty much everyone knows at least one person who has fallen. The fall may have been purely accidental, such as a slip and fall, or the fall may have been related to dizziness. It’s also possible that it the fault of negligent party
Slips and falls can have devastating consequences for those involved. If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident and chooses to file suit, then legal costs can quickly spiral out of control. However, based on the severity of your personal injury case, you may be entitled to apply for personal injury loans that can cover your living costs and any other necessities in the meantime. Head to fundmylawsuitnow.com for more information.
More than one in three people age 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of falling and thus fall-related injuries rises proportionally with age. Each year, more than 1.6 million elderly go to US emergency departments for fall-related injuries. This is why fall alarms are growing in popularity because as the population gets older, their family members are wanting to the comfort that they know their loved ones will always be safe. Among older adults, falls are the number one cause of fractures, hospital admissions for trauma, and accidental injury deaths. Fractures caused by falls can lead to hospital stays and oftentimes casuses long term disability. With this comes the loss of independence and also income, which is why it’s ideal to start looking into a page like this, that answers the question “What is long term disability insurance?” when it comes to potentially losing income due to a disability. Most often, fall-related fractures are at the arm, hand, ankle, spine, pelvis or hip. Hip fractures are amongst the most serious type of fall injury. They are a leading cause of loss of independence, particularly in the elderly. Only 50% of the elderly hospitalized for a broken hip return home or are capable of living on their own after the injury. There is high morbidity associated with hip fractures, mostly from complications.
Most people develop a fear of falling which increases with age. This can become even more overwhelming for those with a previous fall. As such, many will avoid activities of daily living such as walking, shopping, or taking part in social activities. This is why lots of elderly people choose to live in places like Kew Gardens Aged Care. If they do happen to have a fall or accident, a professional team of carers will be on hand to help them 24/7. If an elderly person lives alone and they have a fall, they’re often not able to call for help which is extremely worrying for their loved ones.
Many individuals have deceived themselves into thinking that they are not at risk of fall simply because they have never fallen, or because they do not feel imbalanced. This could not be further from the truth. You see, the problem with risk of fall is that by the time that you can tell that you have a problem; the problem has already gotten severe. It is for this reason that the hospital administration mandated fall risk analysis in 2004. My office checks dozens of patients weekly for risk of fall. Most know they have a problem going into the test as that is why they are in my office in the first place. Many others however feel confident that they will score high and are surprised when they do not.
If you are worried about falling, our office offers a simple 20 second test to assess your overall stability, and thus your risk of fall. The test is accurate and currently the standard used to evaluate fall risk. My office offers this testing free as a community service. We will also send a copy of the report back to your doctor, so that they know both that you have been tested and whether or not you are high risk. Those who are high risk will be accepted as patients and treated appropriately. Of those treated, most will have reduced their risk to normal; the remainder will have improved by at least one or two categories.
Because of the human aging process, changes occur around the sixth decade that lead to diminished balance ability and thus an increased risk of fall. These detrimental changes can be easily fixed with some simple exercises. Since most people don’t ever get checked, they don’t ever fix these detrimental changes and fall risk just continues to rise with age.
Even though detrimental changes occur as an inevitable part of human aging, falls are not an inevitable part of human aging. Getting rid of your risk of falling, as well as your fear of falling can help you to stay active, maintain your physical health, and prevent future falls. Call our office today for more information on falls, fall risk screening, or balance/dizziness problems in general. More information can be found on the main pages of this blogg, www.advancedwellness.us
The simple fact is that you only know your balance is good if it has been tested and you pass your test. If you already know that you have poor balance, or, you have a history of falling, do yourself a huge favor and take advantage of our offer to test you for free on the CAPS. It will change the course of your life. Call 941 330-8553 today.
Call our office today for more information on falls, fall risk screening, or balance/dizziness problems in general. More information can be found on the main pages of this website, www.advancedwellness.us.
Your’s in Health,
John Lieurance, D.C.
Functional Neurology
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