“Falling is the
number one leading cause of fractures in the United States, and they're the second leading
cause of unintentional
injury and death globally.” —
Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN,
FNP, FGSA, FAAN
In 2022, in the United States,
of the top 5 leading causes of death, 3 are chronic
conditions –
1.
heart disease, 2. cancer, and
5. respiratory disease – coming
in at #3 is COVID-19, but
#4 may
surprise you.
It’s accidents and
unintentional injuries (and just in case you’re
wondering,
Alzheimer’s disease is in the
#6 spot right now)
As people age, the risk of
falls and fall-related
injuries increase. In fact, 1 in 4 Americans over
the age of 65 fall each
year.
The consequences of fall can be
devastating –
falls are the number one cause
of fractures in
the US and the second leading
cause of unintentional
injury and death globally. A geriatrician I
once worked for told me that
the most important muscles for preventing falls and reducing
frailty were our
quadriceps. Made sense to me. It’s also a reason that I would NOT
recommend one of those
recliners that automatically lifts and propels an older adult out
of it. While technology can be a good thing, don’t compensate when you can get
stronger. Use your own strength for as long as you can. Think about it – while it’s important for being able to get out of the chair, it’s
really important for getting on
and off the toilet, too!
Improving your strength and
balance are the keys to reducing your risk of falling.
In our next
episode of This Is Getting Old: Moving Towards an
Age-Friendly World, I'll share Six Exercises To Reduce the Risk Of
Falling.
These low-impact exercises enhance your stability, strength,
and balance, ultimately reducing the chances of a fall if you become
unsteady on your feet for any reason and they can be easily tailored to your own abilities and overall
health.
Get ready to
step into a safer future!
Key points covered in this
episode:
✔️ Exercise #1: Balancing on One
Foot
This exercise involves
maintaining a single-foot
stance, as the name suggests. If you find yourself lacking stability, it is advisable to grasp onto
a wall or a reliable grab bar until your balance improves.
Once you feel confident in your
stability, this exercise can seamlessly incorporate into
your routine whenever you find
yourself standing in line, patiently awaiting an event or
engagement.
✔️
Exercise #2: Standing on Tip
Toes
This exercise also aligns with
its name, as it involves transitioning from a flat-footed stance to standing on your toes. Similar to the
previous exercise focusing on balance, it is recommended to maintain a firm grip on a wall or
grab bar until you can perform this movement with stability. Engaging in this exercise
also provides notable benefits for your calf muscles.
✔️
Exercise #3: Sitting to
Standing Without Using Your Hands
This exercise involves the
ability to transition from a seated position to standing
without relying on the
support of chair arms.
Within the field of geriatrics,
it is commonly included in the Timed Up and Go (TUG) Testt The
objective is to successfully rise from the chair, walk a distance
of 10 feet, turn around,
return to the chair, and sit down, completing the entire
sequence within a
timeframe of 12
seconds.
It is crucial to note that the
inability to perform this task indicates an increased risk
of falling for older
adults.
✔️
Exercise# 4: Leg
Extensions
Leg extensions involve the
action of lifting one leg at a time in front of you while
maintaining a seated position.
This exercise primarily targets your quadriceps, similar
to the sitting-to-standing
exercise.
✔️ Exercise # 5: Walking
It's great to go for a
walk, whether it's outside or
simply walking around your house when going outdoors isn't an
option.
Active plays a crucial role in
promoting our overall health and well-being,
and it's particularly
vital for minimizing the chances of falling.
Plus, walking alongside a friend or family member adds
an element of joy to the experience!
(I'm truly
grateful that my youngest family member joined me on a walk while I
was recording the
demonstrations for this episode).
✔️ Exercise # 6: Gentle
Stretches
To enhance flexibility and alleviate discomfort in
your hips and legs, it is recommended to engage in gentle stretches multiple times per
day, a few times a week.
Personally, I find lying down
to be the most effective position for stretching my lower
body and addressing hip pain, which has become more
prominent due to extended periods of sitting during work, particularly since
the onset of the COVID pandemic. I frequently require stretching exercises for my right
hip.
Gradually, you can aim to hold
these stretches for a
duration of 30 seconds:
● Knee-to-chest
stretch: Begin by lying
on your back with your legs extended. Lift the leg you intend to stretch and flex your
knee. Employing your opposite hand, apply gentle pressure to draw your knee toward your
chest.
●
Side stretch: Proceed by allowing your knee to
naturally descend across your body in a twisting motion, as this action effectively
accentuates the stretch in my hip and gluteal region.
●
Additionally, I engage in
a Piriformis
stretch by crossing my
ankle over the opposite
knee and maintaining this position for a period of time.
Alternatively, I can
grasp underneath my thigh and pull my knee closer to my
chest.
If you are new to stretching,
it is important to refrain from performing any movements that cause pain or discomfort.
✔️ Feeling Unsteady? Don't Be A
Bystander—Take
Action!
Make a beeline to your medical
provider if balance or stretching is causing you trouble.
They can usually provide you
with a referral to physical therapy or PT if you ask them for one. These services can assist you in creating a
customized home routine tailored to address your specific strength and balance
needs.
Furthermore, there are plenty
of other measures you can take to minimize the risk of
falling. Feel free to explore the links I've included
below to gain more insight:
🔗 What You Can Do To Prevent
Falls
🔗 Fall Prevention: Simple Tips to Prevent
Falls
If you have
questions or comments or need help, please feel free to drop a
one-minute audio or video clip and email it to me at
melissabphd@gmail.com, and I will get back to you by recording an answer to your
question.
About Melissa Batchelor, PhD,
RN, FNP, FGSA, FAAN:
I earned my Bachelor of Science
in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner
(FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked
full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across
many long-term
care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining
the faculty at UNCW SON
as a lecturer. I
obtained my PhD in Nursing and a post-master's
Certificate in Nursing
Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College
of Nursing ('11). I then
joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as
an Assistant Professor.
My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 which led to
me joining the George
Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in
2018 as a (tenured) Associate
Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center
for Aging,
Health, and Humanities.
Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.