Risk of Fall in Elderly

Knowledge Risk of Fall in Elderly – How to Avoid

26-Nov-2019

Falls occurs in 30-50% of adults more than 40 years of age every year and 15-20% of that results in injury, some even lead to hospitalization and death of the patient.

Most risk of falls increases with identifiable risk factors – Weakness, Unsteady Gait, Psychoactive medications and confusion. It is suggested that amelioration of these factors can reduce the chances of falls by 90%.

At Makino Healthcare we implement few environmental inspection, systemic exercise programs & balance improvement programs.

We tend to use internationally accredited fall risk measures to assess your risk of fall and design the protocol accordingly.

How can we define falls?

Falls are one of the most common devastating problems among older people. It includes dropping from a sitting or standing position or from a stair or ladder.

The falls are more common in old aged people as with increasing age, the older adult tend to loose muscle strength, vision, hearing, sensations and a lot of brain structures gradually decline in it’s working strength.

Medical conditions that the risk of falls –

Muscular weakness and balance impairment
Neurological conditions – Stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis
Urinary & Bladder dysfunction
Vision or hearing loss
Side effects associated with ongoing medications
Musculoskeletal impairments
Abnormal Gait pattern
Severe Osteoporosis
Blood pressure fluctuations
Cardiac Arrhythmias
Depression and senility

Personally associated Factors that increases risk of falls –

Age – The risk increases with aging.
Sedentary Lifestyle – Lack of activities/exercises leads to decrease in muscle strength and bone density causing impaired balance and coordination.
Social Habits – Like Alcohol intake or smoking decreases bone strength. Use of alcohol can also cause unsteadiness and slow reaction times.
Inappropriate Diet - Strength and energy deplete with poor diet an less water intake which makes it difficult for a person to move and perform everyday activities effectively.

Why it is important to PREVENT falls?

Falls can result in small injuries like Mild bleeding, bruising or muscle pull to even more serious injuries like bone fracture, head injury or even death.

In case of osteoporotic bones the chances of fracture increases.

Importance of Early diagnosis –

It can prevent and aware the person to reduce the risk. Falls aren’t the inevitable part of aging these can be treated with appropriate treatment. Even the falls are sometimes indicative of diabetes and blood pressure fluctuations.

Why choose Makino Healthcare to prevent falls?

Our therapist at Makino healthcare conduct a detailed assessment including the fall risk assessment as per the international guidelines. The commonly examined areas are – Muscle strength testing, Range of motion examination, checking sensation and using internationally validated scales like – Fall efficacy scale & Berg balance scale.

Based on the detailed assessment and interpretation, Our experts design customized treatment plan to improve your muscle strength and balance in different postures. For a time being we sometimes prescribe an assistive device (walker or stick) and can be easily discontinued after a while carrying on with the treatment.