There can be many reasons that your balance may be a bit off. Yes, there could be medical reasons for feeling dizzy or off balance in which you should definitely see your health-care professional. However, our balance abilities can change as we age. Yep, another possible challenge of the aging process. In fact, the incidence of sustaining a fall goes up with each decade of life. Here are some concerning statistics when it comes to falls.
Statistics
- Approximately 30 million older adults fall each year, resulting in 32,000 deaths.
- One half of all accidental deaths in the home are caused by a fall with most happening at ground level.
- In the US, one out of three persons over the age of 65 will experience a fall.
- In people in the 65 to 84 age group, falls are the second leading cause of injury-related deaths.
- Those over 85, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths.
- Falls account for 87% of all fractures among people over 65.
- One half of adults over 65 that are hospitalized for hip fractures cannot return home or live independently after the fracture.
Scary Statistics
Now you might be thinking these are not very good statistics and you are right. For that reason, I thought I would share some things we can do to improve our balance and coordination. First of all, who is more at risk for falls? Well, anyone can trip and fall, injuring themselves but there are two age groups that are more prone to injury.
Ages Prone to Falls
Kids: The first is children. This is due to their evolving through developmental stages, innate curiosity, sports, and increased independence. I know both my kids had broken bones through their growing years.
Seniors: The second group is the elderly. This can be due to physical, sensory, and cognitive changes associated with aging. Is it normal for the elderly to fall more? Falls are preventable and do not have to be a part of aging.
Ways to Improve Balance
Staying healthy and strong is a great investment in ourselves. It is also a wonderful gift to give our family and friends. As we age, we can begin to lose muscle mass and strength. Consequently, we will want to work on building our strength and balance.
Physical and Mental
- Strengthen: We want to build muscles in our core, lower back, and legs to provide stability. This can be done through walking, biking, climbing stairs.
- Stretch: tight muscles can affect posture and balance. Therefore, stretching can be helpful. For stretching, I have used this book and found it very helpful. Yoga can strengthen and stretch tight muscles while also challenging our balance skills.
- Physical and Mental Strength: Tai chi can strengthen our body and our mind. It addresses both physical and mental aspects of our health. So not only can it improve our balance but can improve our bone strength, joint stability, cardiovascular health, immunity, and emotional wellbeing. Studies have shown that tai chi can reduce falls by up to 45% in seniors.
Shoes
- The right shoe is extremely important for improving your balance. For adults, I would recommend Xero Shoes. They have a great selection to choose for a low-profile shoe. I have invested in three pair already, including a pair of hiking shoes. For kids, I would recommend Little Wild North Co. These children’s shoes are custom made for each order at an affordable price.
Avoiding Falls
Fortunately, there are actions we can take today to lessen the likelihood. Besides the exercises that I shared, you can check out this PDF for additional tips for preventing falls.
Developing a healthy lifestyle does take work. In other words, it requires making changes in our habits: making new ones and getting rid of old ones. Here is a previous post I shared on developing habits to improve your health.
Have you noticed that your balance isn’t what it used to be? Do you realize it does not have to be a part of aging? Are you ready to start working on improving your balance?
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Heather
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/easy-ways-to-improve-your-balance
- Dunsky A (2019) The Effect of Balance and Coordination Exercises on Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Mini-Review. Front. Aging Neurosci. 11:318. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00318
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00318/full
- https://www.healthline.com/health/exercises-for-balance#takeaway
- https://nfsi.org/nfsi-research/quick-facts/
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls
