April marks the start of Falls Prevention Month, making it the perfect time to raise awareness about how to prevent a fall.
Falls can be a risk for anyone, but especially those over 65 who are more injury prone.
By taking preventative measures and adopting a few simple practices, you can help protect yourself from falls and other injuries.
At North West Physio, we recommend starting with some home safety precautions and exercises that will reduce your risk of falling.
4 easy ways to prevent falls at home
- Get rid of any unnecessary trip hazards (this includes mats, rugs, clutter etc…) and put non-slip strips on slippery surfaces (i.e. tiles in bathroom)
- Exercise regularly to maintain your strength and balance
- Get your hearing and eyes checked
- Ensure good lighting throughout your home
How can a physiotherapist help prevent fall
A Physio can help to prevent a fall by:
– Assessing an individual’s functional capacity and risk of falling
– Creating an exercise prescription
– Developing a mobility aid prescription
– Refer individual to other health care practitioners to address any additional limitations (GP, Occupational therapist, exercise physiology, podiatrist)
Exercises for fall prevention: physiotherapy falls prevention exercises
Some exercises we recommend at North West Physio are:
– Gym-based exercises: Strength and balance classes or GLAD programs
– Hydrotherapy/ Aqua aerobics
– Pilates: Reformer and matt-work
– Mobility classes/ Yoga
– Tai Chi
– Walking
Prevent falls in the elderly: can osteoporosis increase the risk of falls?
YES! If you have osteoporosis not only is your bone mineral density low but you have a higher risk of falling due to muscle weakness, increased spinal kyphosis, and reduced postural control.
Additionally, the increased risk of fractures and fear of falling can play a role
psychologically with increasing the risk of falls.
Prevent falls in the elderly: how to maintain physical strength
As a minimum, North West Physio recommends 2 x sessions per week aiming to target all your muscle groups with a weight that fatigues your muscles.
We recommend you do around 12-15 repetitions of these exercises if you are a senior.
Easy ways to help prevent a fall
Falls Prevention Month in April is an excellent opportunity to educate ourselves and our loved ones on how to prevent falls from happening.
We can start by improving the safety of our homes, learning about fall risks, and strengthening our bodies with balance and strength exercises.
Falls Prevention Month helps remind us that we can take steps towards reducing the risk of falls through simple lifestyle changes and staying healthy.
It is important for us to take action now before a serious injury occurs due to a fall. That’s why effective strategies to prevent falls are crucial.
If you would like more information on how you can prevent a fall, contact North West Physio today.
