A friend of mine fell and broke her hip.  She is 91 years old and because she follows a consistent exercise routine, she is in great shape.  Unfortunately, the fall was an accident that could not be prevented.  The break was clean, she is healing well, and she looks forward to her physical therapy exercise sessions.   An older adult who has always remained active, my friend recognizes the importance of doing exercises while seated to promote circulation.

When I visited her the other day in the rehabilitation facility, I asked her how she liked the food.  She told me the food was awful and she wasn’t eating.  The fact that she wasn’t eating truly disturbed me because when a person breaks a bone, a big bone like the hip, the body requires increased nutritional support, especially protein and the need increases the older a person gets.  

A good rule of thumb is 1-1.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight for older adults.

All my friend wanted was an orange.  Later that evening, I brought her a box of tangelos, some mixed nuts, blueberries, strawberries, and a homemade meal of fish, green beans, and a garnet yam.  She was all smiles as she snacked on the assortment of goods I brought her.  As she ate, I briefly educated her about the importance of eating protein in order to speed the healing process.  

Because eggs are one of my favorite sources of protein, I took her 2 hard boiled eggs.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t like hard boiled eggs but I feel that my visit was a success since I had the opportunity to educate her about the importance of eating protein in order to feed the healing process.  I also encouraged my friend about how quickly she’ll heal since she has followed along with the exercise videos I made for seniors.  

Followed along?  Heck, this lady is one of my superstars.  God bless her.

     Independence is something we strive for from the day we are born.  Being self sufficient is encouraged in society that frowns upon dependence past the age of 18.  Some people fight tooth and nail to be independent and unfortunately, an accidental fall can change your life, and those around you, immediately.  Your life can be turned upside down the second you are downside up!  

     Can you prevent an accident from happening?  NO.  Can you reduce the risk of an accidental fall?  Heck yeah and here’s how:  following a consistent activity program specifically designed to reduce the risk of a fall.  In other words, Take 5 to Exercise each day.  

     Some of you who may be reading this have parents you are concerned about.  And you may be thinking to yourself, “there’s no way Dad will follow along with a senior exercise video”.   My DVDs are not like most because as a gerontologist, I treat the viewer as an equal, not some old, decrepit person who I conned into buying my product.  I honestly care about their well being.

      I do not talk down to the viewer but I take the time to educate why the specific components of an effective fall prevention exercise program are important, why they should do them, and then my Take 5 to Exercise ladies (91, 86 and 86 years old) and I demonstrate a movement routine in a pleasant outdoor setting.

     If you’re still convinced your mother will follow along, here’s a great idea:  try the seated exercise routines yourself and then do them together!  As a Certified Personal Fitness trainer and exercise enthusiast, I work with people of all ages and the movements in the Take 5 to Exercise video series are beneficial to everyBODY, especially if you sit for long periods of time during the day.  

     Try the Basic 5 stretches yourself and then say, “hey Uncle Jerry, I know your low back has been bothering you just like mine, try this stretch that my personal fitness trainer recommended” and do the Hamstring stretch.  Or, “Mom, I know you’ve been having trouble making it to the bathroom lately, let’s try this movement that my trainer has me doing during Oprah’s commercial breaks” and do the Kegal Squeeze.

     Lead by example.  If your loved one is being physically neglected in the assisted living facility, recommend or buy a 5-day set for the Activity Director and ask that the entire staff watch it so all the residents will benefit as they add to their boring, out of date fitness video library.  

     Do everything you can to reduce the risk of an accidental fall because over one-third of community dwelling older adults and over two-thirds of assisted living residents fall each year and the consequences can be devasting.  When you ask a person how they fell, the answers are not surprising.  ”I slipped in the bathroom”, “I tripped over the rug”, “I didn’t see the cord on the floor”.  

No one intends on falling, it just happens.  Take 5 to Exercise each day and you will reduce the risk of a devastating accident.

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