senior health
How to Prevent and Handle Falls
Preventing and handling falls after they occur are often a main concern for seniors. I found that videos are much more useful than only words. Hopefully some of these videos will give you some important information and guidance.
How to Prevent Falling: According to the Mayo Clinic there are ways to possibly prevent falls as shown in this video.
How to Walk: According to the National Council on Aging, falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans. Walking, as we all know, is healthy and important for everyone, however, many older seniors do not walk correctly. This video explains how to improve walking.
Walking Backwards: There are many benefits of walking backwards. By walking backwards for 10-15 minutes, 4 days a week, it can flex out your hamstrings, strengthen muscles, improve knee osteoarthritis, lessen back pain, and may help with short-term memory. The video below demonstrates how to do this exercise near a wall or something that you can hold onto for balance.
Walking Backwards: There are many benefits of walking backwards. By walking backwards for 10-15 minutes, 4 days a week, it can flex out your hamstrings, strengthen muscles, improve knee osteoarthritis, lessen back pain, and may help with short-term memory. The video below demonstrates how to do this exercise near a wall or something that you can hold onto for balance.
Balance Exercises: In addition to walking correctly, practicing balance techniques is effective in preventing falls. Improving posture is also important since people with good posture have a much smaller chance of taking a tumble.
Balance Exercises: In addition to walking correctly, practicing balance techniques is effective in preventing falls. Improving posture is also important since people with good posture have a much smaller chance of taking a tumble.
Pat’s Comment: Presently I attend a balance class with Jim Truitt in Arizona, which has been very helpful. Unfortunately, not everyone can attend his classes due to accessibility. However, he has several YouTube videos, and this is one of my favorites: Dynamic Stretch Matrix for Balance Class with Jim Truitt.
Other Exercises to Prevent Falls: Here are 10 exercises that can help prevent falls.
How to Fall: If we trip over something or lose our balance and fall, it is important to know how to fall safely – this video may help to give some guidance.
How to Get Up From the Floor: Getting up safely from a fall can be challenging. This video gives the steps required to get you back on your feet. If you are seriously hurt, however, call for help or use a Medical Alert System as soon as possible. Following up with your doctor regarding any fall, whether you think it was serious or not, is always recommended.
Getting Help! If you fall and can’t get up, call 911 if you have access to a cell phone. If not, a Medical Alert System is an emergency life-saving device that can bring help to you immediately. Choosing the right Medical Alert System, however, is often difficult to determine. The National Council on Aging offers this chart to help determine which system is best for you.
Staying Healthy and Positive as We Age
There are benefits to growing older and ways to keep our bodies and minds healthy. If we adopt a positive attitude and incorporate healthy and preventative habits into our lifestyle, it can make a difference in preventing or lessening the effects of many illnesses.
Our chronological age is just a number – younger people can be unhealthier than the elderly due to lifestyle choices. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are known to decrease the risk for heart disease and stroke and maintain cognitive functioning. And social activities are important for physical and mental well-being. Some of the benefits of aging are:
- Living Longer - We are living longer and healthier lives. Age expectancy has increased to more than 20 years from a century ago. According to NIH, if you make it to age 65, most likely you could make it to 85 and if you make it to 85, it’s likely you can make it to at least 92.
- Retirement offers the opportunity to try and develop different activities that were unavailable when working, and the transition to retirement can ease the uncertainty of building a satisfying lifestyle.
- Acceptance of ourselves and others increases as we age.
- Life experiences enable the elderly to make smarter decisions.
- Wisdom is increased since seniors have less emotional volatility and have developed relationship strategies.
- Social interaction improves physical, mental and emotional well-being and is readily available through senior centers, retirement villages and community involvement.
- Stress lessens as we get older since we don’t have to juggle with jobs, families and homes.
- Semantic memory continues to improve for many older adults which is essential for many aspects of cognition, including language, reasoning, planning, problem-solving, and social interaction.
- Decision-making skills increase because seniors are more emotionally stable and less impulsive than younger people.
- Empathy increases in the elderly more than in other age groups.
- Gaining a few pounds after 50 years old from what we weighed when we were younger, is healthy and may add years to your life. However, obesity is detrimental to your health, and it is important to strive for a healthy weight.
- Spirituality that usually increases with age brings comfort and slows down cognitive decline.
Positiveness is important as we get older. To help develop a positive attitude, these steps may help:
- Find projects you enjoy to create purpose in your life, possibly helping others.
- Reject negative stereotypes about aging and believing poor health is inevitable.
- Stay socially active by joining groups.
- Learn new activities or teach others new skills.
- Don’t dress old.
- Avoid negative self-talk, such as “I’m too old to try new things,” “I can’t deal with new technology.”
Positive Activities
Being older and retired has benefits since now you have the time to engage in: creating crafts, trying new recipes, letter writing, writing poetry, watching movies, creating art, joining a book club, and many other activities. There are many brain games that improve mental ability available.
Benefits for Seniors Over 65 that are free or at reduced-cost are also available, such as health care, transportation, housing assistance, prescription drugs, recreational activities, food and dining.
If you would like more information or how to prevent or manage specific illnesses or conditions, click the titled links below. For food recommendations for each illness, click the link titled Foods, and if you would like to view a sample menu plan, click on Menu Plan.
Acid Indigestion (GERD) - Foods - Menu Plan
Arthritis - Foods - Menu Plan
Cancer - Foods (30 Cancer-Fighting Foods) - Menu Plan
Constipation - Foods - Menu Plan
Depression - Foods - Menu Plan
Diabetes - Foods - Menu Plan
Diarrhea - Foods - Menu Plan
Eye Health - Foods - Menu Plan
Falls
Fears and Anxieties - Foods - Menu Plan
Healthy Eating - Foods - Menu Plan
Heart Disease - Foods - Menu Plan
Influenza and Pneumonia - Foods - Menu Plan
Osteoporosis - Foods - Menu Plan
Respiratory Illnesses - Foods - Menu Plans: Asthma - COPD
Senior Exercises - also see videos under Exercises on this site.
Shingles - Foods - Menu Plan
Urinary Incontinence - Foods - Menu Plan: Urinary Tract Infection
Vitamins and Minerals Over 50
Weight Gain - Foods - Menu Plan