Falls are a major cause of injuries to seniors

By Karen Rudolph Durrie
Calgary Herald
January 3, 2005

If it hasn't happened to you yet, it's probably happened to someone you know. More than one-third of Canadians over the age of 65 experience falls every year, and that number increases to half of seniors by the age of 80 according to Statistics Canada. Falls are the number-one cause of injuries to seniors, accounting for 65 per cent of the injuries seen each year, according to Canada Safety Council. Every year, countless Canadian seniors lose their mobility and independence because of falls. Studies show that falling is usually the result of a complex combination of factors that include personal health practices and health status, operating alone or with the addition of safety hazards in and outside of the home.

So you think you've done everything to fall-proof your environment. What more can you do? Did you know that engaging in regular physical activity is one effective way to decrease your chanes of falling? And if you do fall, being in good physical condition can lesson your likelihood of being badly injured. A healthy body heals faster than a frail one. Strong muscles, good flexibility and balance are key tools you can use to help prevent falls, says Candace Swick, a certified expert in exercise for the older adult, a rehabilitation therapist and the 55-Plu co-ordinator for the Calgary Winter Club. "The best approach to preventing falls in any groupof older persons depends on where they sit on the risk factor spectrum," Swick says. "They need to watch their environment, participate in physical activity and safegaurd everything around them."

There are two major causes of falling. Age and health-related changes account for many falls - in which inactivity, slow reflexes, muscle weakness, certain medications, poor eyesight or balance problems can increase the risk of falling. The other major cause of falls is hazards in your surroundings. Slippery floors and stairs, inadequate lighting, loose electrical cords, raised thresholds and clutter can increase your risk of falling as well. Your risk of falling can be decreased if you are more physically fit, because regular exercise improves your muscle flexibility. Not only that, is also forces you to pay attention to how you are walking and moving about your environment.

Improving your gait - the way you walk - is one important thing to be gained from regular exercise. In one of her programs, Swick has participants concentrate on how high they are lifting their feet and how much they sway their bodies when they walk. It's as simple as putting a piece of tape on the floor and imagining it is a balance beam and working on walking forward, backward and sideway in different patterns. These exercises can help improve the way you walk. Swick also instructs seniors in easy balance-improvement exercises that include lifting one foot off the floor, holding it for an eight-second count, alternating the feet, and extendinga leg in front of the body for a short count. Some participants may need modifications, like holding onto a chair back or rails for balance during exercises.

Working on improving the strength and range of motion of the legs is another important factor in improving balance and gait. Weak, inflexible legs are more apt to cause falls. Swick encourages resistance training using exercise bands, leg machines for those who use fitness facilities, and a variety of leg exercises that can be done standing or sitting. She also uses exercises in which participants practice simply getting up from chairs and sitting back down, to help you with balance and strength.

Not all falls can be prevented, but exercising regularly will likely put you ahead of the game if you do happen to experience a fall. More physically fit seniors will bounce back more quickly from injuries and medical procedures than those who are weaker and inflexible, Swick says. She has one client who she knows will prove just that. The woman, Alice, did not fall, but she's going to have hip replacement surgery. "Over the years she discovered her hips have been deteriorating, so we have worked on a regimented exercise program, "Swick says.

Alice's training program included core muscle exercises, strength training and a full-body workout. If Alice was feeling less able to do the land workout, she would exercise in the water, which provides resistance bu is gentle on the joints. Alice's doctor is already expecting her to do well after her surgery, because of her level of activity. "Her doctor discovered her muscle strength is so much greater than somebody her age who doesn't exercise," Swick says. "So her recovery will be shorter than somebody who is inactive. She can maintain her independence, stay physically fit, have the surgery, and go back to maintaining an active life afterwards. Hers will be a success story."

It is also of paramount importance to use your assistive devices if you have been prescribed them. It's all too common, Swick says, for people who feel they have attained better balance to stop using their walkers or canes. Those devices can help prevent a fall, so do not stop using them unless a physician says you can.

Check in at your local community association, fitness facility or seniors' centre for exercise programs geared to older adults. Several of these organizations also run fall prevention workshops, including the Calgary Regional Health Authority and Kerby Centre.