Preventing Falls 1

 One of our most requested workshops is on Fall Prevention and the reason is clear:

·       Two-thirds of those who experience a fall will fall again within 6 months

·       Two-thirds of falls are preventable!

·       At least one-third of all falls in the elderly involve environmental hazards in the home

·       Most falls do not result in serious injury.  However, there is often a psychological impact.

o   25% of community-dwelling people 75 or over unnecessarily restrict their activities because of fear of falling.

Why does a fall occur?

It is important to understand that any individual fall occurs for more than one reason. The greater the number of risk factors to which an individual is exposed, the greater the probability of a fall.

The good news – many of these risk factors are preventable. Some people believe that falls are a normal part of ageing, they are not. Lack of knowledge leads to a lack of preventative action, thus resulting in falls.

The most common risk factors for falls have been categorized as Intrinsic Risk (characteristics of the person) and Extrinsic Risk (circumstances of the fall). You can examine your risk factors with an idea of taking any preventative measures that you can.

Reducing the Risk of a Fracture with a Fall

Osteoporosis: This is a condition wherein bones become more porous, less resistant to stress and more prone to fractures. This caused by a change in hormones decreased calcium and vitamin D deficiency and decreased physical activity.

Make sure you are getting enough calcium through your eating habits or by combining with supplements. 1,500 mg of calcium is recommended

Get sufficient vitamin D to enhance calcium absorption via exposure to sunlight. As little as 15 minutes a day.

Regularly do weight-bearing exercises

Talk with your doctor about bone mineral density (BMD) test.

External Hip Protectors

Hip fractures generally result from direct trauma to the hip bone occurring because of the fall. Hip protectors assist by absorbing some of the force to reduce the risk of fracture. Evidence and research are mixed and many people do not like wearing these devices.