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1 in 3 older adults living in the community fall each year (CDC, 2006).
In my opinion, this number is
grossly underestimated since a lot of falls are not reported. Once an older adult falls, he/she becomes afraid of falling again. Afraid, the individual begins to limit activities that may increase the chance of another fall; such as grocery shopping, recreational walks, and social events.
The less a person does, the weaker she becomes. The weaker a person is, the greater risk of a fall. As a result, the individual becomes isolated and this isolation leads to depression. This is a vicious cycle and it must be stopped!
The first thing a loved one or caregiver can do is to listen to the older adult and his/her fears. It is important to validate and respect a person’s feelings but do not get drawn into doing everything for them, this only teaches “learned helplessness which results in them doing less for themselves thereby getting weaker.
The next thing you can do is encourage the older adult to remain active. Buy them a senior exercise video that can be done while seated and tell them some activity is better than none. Remember that if you don’t use it, you lose it!!! Stretching each major joint helps keep the body functioning as a continuous unit and promotes circulation which helps a person feel better. And don’t forget to strengthen what you stretch. Lean muscle mass helps a person remain independent even if they do the exercises in a chair! By consistently following a seated exercise routine, a person will get stronger which helps reduce the risk of a fall. Take 5 to Exercise each day and get stronger, not weaker after a fall.
In Day 3 of my seated exercise routine series, I deal specifically with the Cycle of Fear as I introduce my C.O.P.E. cycle and how important proper posture is in reducing the risk of falling.
C.O.P.E = Cycle Of Postural Energy
So rather than sit in fear of falling, hold your head up high and face your fears by remaining active. Take 5 to Exercise each day and break the vicious cycle of fear before it starts.
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