How to prevent falls in older adults
Physiotherapists are able to detect early difficulties with movement, strength and balance. This enables them to identify the most appropriate risk factors for individuals, as well as determining an individual’s overall risk of falls.
Physiotherapists also assess for other causes of falls, such as behavioural and environmental, to pinpoint contributing factors.
A long lie on the floor is associated with serious injury, increased mortality and increased risk of secondary complications. Physiotherapists teach people how to get up from the floor safely and/or how to minimise time spent on the floor. Specific strength training may enable individuals to get up from the floor independently.
As people get older it is inevitable that they will be at a greater risk of falling. This is also true for individuals who have various neurological conditions. Falls are the major cause of injury with people over the age of sixty- five and at Rebalance , our specialist physiotherapist believe that it is important to minimise the risk of falling as much as possible by designing an individualised falls prevention programme.
The Rebalance Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Falls Prevention Programme consists of a series of home-based sessions done at your own pace resulting in the following benefits:
- Greater muscle strength
- Balance training
- Improved reaction time
- Walking re-education
- Increased flexibility
- Improved confidence
- Reduced fear of falling
- Improved independence
- Greater ability to carry out activities of daily living
Aside from the immediate injury, the effects of falling can linger on and impact on the elderly person not only physically, but psychologically and emotionally.
It is quite common to suffer a loss of confidence which results in a desire to remain indoors more and walk less for fear of falling again. Although this seems like a sensible option to reduce the possibility of repeat falls, it has the opposite effect! Exercise is vitally important to build and retain muscle strength which helps prevent future falls
