Elderly Fall –A Rising Global Issue
“Aging is a natural process of life. It begins the moment we are born. Strangely enough, most of us live under the illusion that we and our loved ones will never become old. When old age arrives, we are often unprepared. The natural order becomes reversed. The young help to care for the old. Those who need to be taken care of for the first time have a hard time accepting that they need help. This condition is a product of our culture that does everything it can to conceal the loss of youth. Confronting this reality is the beginning of a healthy relationship to life, aging and death.“
More people rush to hospitals for injuries related to falling than from any other cause, and they are the primary cause of accidental death in people over the age of 65. Based on a survey 38% of Indians over the age of 60 fall each year. As we age the injuries we sustain from falls become more severe, which is why falls are the cause of 70 percent of accidental deaths in people aged 75 years and older.
Falls in the elderly is a big and growing problem. We at Elderly Care Physiotherapy Centre is proud to offer a Fall Risk Assessment and Conditioning program for Indian senior citizens. Sessions are available at our physio centre or in the comfort of your own home.
The patient is evaluated for specific risk factors known to contribute to falling and decreased mobility. Their scores are then compared to the norms of healthy active people to determine fall risk. If the patient is at risk, they are given a personalized program to target their deficiencies. The treatments, which occur in the clinic and at home, focus on strength and flexibility, balance, walking speed, step length and endurance.
Each patient is given an educational package which helps them to understand the environmental risk factors of falling.
The program is open to anyone who has had a fall in the past or who believes that this program can benefit them based on increased risk due to age, history, medication changes, degeneration of muscles and joints or osteoporosis.