Avoiding Falls in Our Later Years

© September 16, 2010 by Imelda Maurer, cdp

Corporations bag billions in profits each year with “anti-aging” solutions – creams, oils, supplements, surgery , books – successfully playing to American’s fear and denial of aging.

While we cannot avoid aging, and while there are no true “anti aging “ solutions, an article in the New York Times describes how the skill of balance CAN BE ENHANCED with appropriate exercise! Why is this so important?

“Unintentional falls among those 65 and older are responsible for more than 18,000 deaths and nearly 450,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Most of these falls are caused by a decline in that complex and multidimensional human skill known as balance.

To remain upright and sure-footed, explained Dr. David Thurman, a neurologist with the center and a spokesman for the American Academy of Neurology, “there are several components of the nervous system, as well as motor or movement functions that need to be intact.” These include the vestibular system of the inner ear, vision and proprioception, the ability to sense where one’s arms, legs or other parts of the body are without looking at them, as well as the strength and flexibility of bones and soft tissue.

“All of these,” Dr. Thurman said, “tend to degrade with age, particularly as people move into their seventh and eighth decades.”

Yet, unlike many effects of aging, balance can be improved, and the age-related declines can be delayed or minimized with proper training.

“The preponderance of evidence,” Dr. Thurman said, “shows fairly convincingly that strength and balance training can reduce the rate of falls by up to about 50 percent.”
To read about the types of exercise that can enhance the skill of balance without hiring a personal trainer, go to the NY Times article by clicking on the title of the blog entry.