It’s that time of year when many of us take a moment to reflect on the year we’ve had and maybe set some goals and good intentions for the year to come! Sound familiar?

That looks like a pretty good list to me! However, we’ll be talking about something different this time…falls. WHY? Because they are the leading cause of injury for adults, age 65 years and older and an increasingly large part of what we’ve seen this past year.

Over 14 million, or 1 in 4 older adults, report falling every year….1 IN 4!

As people age, their muscles can become weaker, their bones more brittle and reaction time maybe slower. On top of that, existing health conditions and medications can impair balance, strength, vision, and hearing, increasing the risk of falls. To make matters worse, healing can take longer for this group.

For the elderly, a fall can be life-changing. Let’s take a look at the numbers…

• Over 800,000 people a year are hospitalized because of a fall, most often due to a head injury or hip fracture
• At least 300,000 elderly people are hospitalized for hip fractures.
• More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling.
• Falling once unfortunately DOUBLES your chances of falling again.

Many people who’ve had a fall, even if they escaped serious injury, become afraid of falling again. This fear may cause a person to cut down on their everyday activities. As we know, if a person is less active, they can become weaker, consequently increasing their chances of falling even more!

I’d like to point out that balance doesn’t JUST get worse with age…balance deteriorates because we stop being active. This DOES NOT have to be YOU!

There’s a good chance that (if not you) someone you know and care about may be worried about falling. If this is the case, call us today to learn about the many options we offer to keep you and your loved ones healthy, active and SAFE FROM FALLS!