Why do the elderly fall so much?

Question

I'm interested in the physiological reason behind the freq. falls of the elderly, esp. women. I know that sometimes it is related to osteoporisis and fragile bones that break but what else. What i really want to know is how to prevent this happening to me. Is it exercise...balance exer. or stretching or building muscle or all of it. It does seem like even the elderly that walk and are in really good shape for their age fall too. It seems to have something to do with balance...an inner ear thing....what? Some thoughtful answers please....

Answer 1

Everyone takes a tumble now and then, and what you've listed -- exercize, weight training -- are the best preventatives for both osteoporosis and coordination problems. I would add balancing exercizes could help as well.

But there could be many reasons that falls plague seniors:
1. Eyesight -- a decline in vision and depth perception could lead to falls.
2. Medication -- sometimes certain medicines can affect balance.
3. As you mentioned, ear problems can effect balance.
4. A changing physique, and trying to adapt movements to a new form, can be challenging.

Answer 2

Why Do Elderly Fall

Answer 3

Most falls are for the following reasons:
1) weakness of body muscles all over...to avoid this, resistance train 3 times per week...even a 20 minute workout with light weights can do wonders.
2) eyesight..IF you wear glasses for general vision, then always wear them when you are up and about...bad vision leads to loss of balance.
3) inner ear problems ...water retention,etc, can cause a dizzy feeling when there is nothing physical to make you fall
4) Old bones are brittle...resistance training, again, strengthens them greatly...just walking does NOTHING for promoting stronger bones or muscles...but it does help the heart.
5) You come of an age when it is NOT wise to move furniture about, leave stuff in the way...we have a mind set of what we are conditioned to know...changing any of that requires time for the brain to reset...if there is no reason to change the placement of furniture, then do not do it. Always keep litter cleaned up, for even newpapers on the floor can cause a bad fall.
6) Over riding your abilities (motorcycle talk). Never assume that what you once could do you still can do....test the waters slowly.
7) The single most dangerous place in the home is the bathroom. Install removable carpet on the floors that can be easily removed, taken outside and scrubbed on the driveway, dried, and reinstalled. PLace many non-slip stickers on the tub bottom, we loose that great sense of balance and boom...a bad fall onto very hard sufaces!
8) That glass of wine may have affected you far more than you realize...if you are tipsy, stay seated for as long as it takes to NOT be tipsy...that means that while you stay seated, you do NOT continue to drink! (roughest step of all the above????)

And Jersey Girl is absolutely right about aspartane...it is a poison, its effect mimic MS! Drop the Diet Cokes from your inventory ASAP...If you use artificial sweeteners, do NOT use those containing aspartane. (SPELLING??)
Peace and love to all, Goldwing

Answer 4

I will always ask a person to look carefully at their medications first.
Some B/P meds will make
people very unsteady when
arising from a sitting position.
Some Parkinson's meds
make a person feel "shaky"
all over and their balance is
just a little off-center.
A lot of depression meds/
mood enhancers/sleeping pills, etc. will cause a person
to be light-headed/dizzy/
weak/feel faint.
Then we have the normal
aging problems. eyesight/
legs or feet "asleep"/ a throw
rug in the way/getting out of
a hot tub/eyesight dimming/
a knee "goes out" ditto a
hip "goes out". There are
holes in the lawn, cracks in
the sidewalk, someone shoves us in the mall.
I recommend doing an evaluation. First, meds,2nd
make home fall-proof. A note
here: A dear friend had a
bedspread that hung on the floor at the corners. She tripped on one of these corners/broke her hip/complications/death.
When walking in the snow,
get a pair of those cleets that
fit on your shoes. Put down
the "fiber mat" over your walkway and steps. Just be
aware of everything that can
lead to a fall.
Don't be too proud to use one of those new "walkers"
with wheels and a seat to sit
down when tired. They are a lot better than the old walkers.

Answer 5

I'm not elderly yet, at 56 but I have been plagued with falling for the past 20 years. My husband has always blamed my "always in a rush, fast movements, and wearing hi-heels" but assumed he was correct UNTIL last year when I was diagnosed with MS. Now at least I have a reason.

Afterthought: MS is over looked as a diagnosis. My neurologist says he's seen 70 year olds come into his office because they were falling, etc and were diagnosed with MS.

As for me, the thing that has helped is going organic, no sugar, no aspartane, organic vitamins and YOGA.


FORGIVE is absolutely correct........AVOID REFINED SUGAR to prevent falls!!

Answer 6

My mother-in-law falls all the time some bad but mostly soft falls. I found that eating to much sweets really affect her. Mostly it's her attitude, like I see her walking with her cane dragging behind her or she goes outside without her walker. Older people are losing thier independence slowly and they hate to see it come so the think I can do that it's only a few feet. She is always looking for her cane she hangs it on everything. Hope this helps some.

Answer 7

As a person in the Autumn of life, l have noticed that my eyes and hearing are not as good as they used to be, also the feeling in ones feet and legs isn't what it was in younger years, also ones reactions aren't as fast. Add everything together and the fact that older people can afford to buy stronger alcohol, all this means that we fall over more than we did in our younger days. Hope this has been of help.

Answer 8

I think it's because they don't stretch or do any exercise at all. Stretching and balance exercises (standing on one foot etc.) are two great things to do to improve balance, stretching exercises are very important. I have an inner ear problem which throws me off once in a while but I usually can sense when it is starting and take medication for it. Walking alone does not help balance. Stretching and balance exercises work best , everyone should do them.

Answer 9

I'm 72. I'm fine when I'm sitting down and I thankful that my thought process has improved with age. No detection of Alzheimer's yet.

I can use a walker inside of my home for bathroom trips or to get to the dinner table otherwise I have to use a wheelchair.

Every step I take requires concentration and I can't be distracted by someone talking to me or I loose my balance and down I go.

Just one quick turn of my head disorients me and I lose my balance.

I'm sure in most cases it is mostly balance and feeling disoriented.

Changes take place at a slow pace and before you know it you are becoming debilitated and there isn't a whole lot you can do.

I had a very active life, raising 4 great productive kid's, running a organized household, PTA president, organizing community fundraisers, traveling, camping, fishing, continueing my education and retireing with 20 years in a service type job.

I had no sympathy for people that complained of being sick or complaining of being tired.

I never got tired and I always just kept going when I was sick.

Then one fine day, I had a rude awakening . . . . I had to eat my words.

I was so sick just after Christmas, that I was in bed for three days. From that time on I have not been able to walk on my own.

I got to a point that I needed help to dress myself.

For six weeks my Dr. gave me testosterone shots, (not usually given to women ) to begin to build muscle and then refered me to a Physical Therapist.

I was in Physical Therapy for 8 months and now I can take care of my personal needs.

Exercise is a must and the physical therapy has been a God sent.

Pride gets in the way for a time and when you learn to accept and live with it and realize you just have to punt and find a way to keep your mind active.

I have found many enjoyable activities that I can so with my mind while sitting down and still feel productive.

Now I have so many unfinished projects and yahoo answers won't let me get to them.

Hope this helps you. Sorry it is so long.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away."

Answer 10

Mom fell and broke a hip, she never did have a good balance and just got worse with age. She also had a pair of slick soled shoes that I ended up throwing out because she would not quit wearing them and would slip if the grass was wet. Her problems were moving sideways and backing up. Like her feet would tangle or slipping. I also think too many meds or high blood pressure and diziness has a factor in it.