Take a stand against falls
For the elderly, a fall can result in hospitalization, a long-term decline in health or death. But there are measures that can cut the risk of falling.
CHRIS RUSSELL DISPATCH PHOTOS Junie Harrison, 59, of the East Side, works with occupational therapist Stefanie Garcia at Summit’s Trace, a nursing home and rehabilitation center. Harrison fell and injured an ankle in December. Complications led to a serious illness, keeping her in treatment.
By Rita Price THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
When she sits on the couch, which isn’t all that often, 73-year-old Sherrill Finkes might be tracing the alphabet with her toes. She always keeps one hand free when she climbs stairs. And if the wind is stiff, Finkes leans into it. “Helps with your balance,” she said.
The Mount Sterling resident has learned a lot of little things she can do to reduce her risk of falling, an increasingly common occurrence that comes with devastating — and lethal — consequences for growing numbers of Americans 65 or older.
No other cause of injury triggers more emergency-room visits, hospitalizations and deaths among the elderly. Falls carry a steep price tag, too. State officials, who deemed today Falls Prevention Awareness Day, say the medical costs alone for nonfatal falls resulting in the hospitalization of elderly Ohioans mount up to more than $327 million each year. Add fatal falls, lost wages and quality-of-life changes, and the toll pushes past $4 billion.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, said Dr. Ted Wymyslo, director of the Ohio Department of Health. Falls are not a normal part of the aging process, and thinking that they are is a myth that must be dispelled, he said.
Bernard Hatten, 90, agrees. “I think I’m a shining example,” he said, laughing and quickly noting that he doesn’t mean to tempt fate. Like Finkes, Hatten stays active and has participated in a falls-prevention and balance workshop sponsored by the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging and other local senior programs. “I really enjoy the confidence it has given me,” he said before the start of a class yesterday at the Upper Arlington Senior Center. “It makes such a difference.”
Experts note five important ways that seniors can lessen their risk of falls:
- Increase physical activity and exercise.
- See an eye doctor once a year.
- Review medications and find out whether they cause drowsiness or dizziness.
- Address home hazards such as loose rugs, slippery floors and poor lighting.
- Plan ahead and don’t hurry through tasks.
“A lot of it is common sense,” said Finkes, who took a spill in her basement several years ago. Mindful of the coming winter, she and some friends are mulling the purchase of crampons so that their shoes bite into the ice and snow.
“And we’ve added a few yoga stretches to our routine,” Finkes said. Dr. Donald Mack, a clinical professor at Ohio State University’s Department of Family Medicine, said falls needn’t be fatal to effectively end a lifestyle. The injury and lingering complications send millions of older Americans on a journey from which they never return.
“For a lot of people, the fall is sort of their ticket — and also their chain — to a long-term-care facility,” he said. “They become a patient.” That loss of mobility can lead to other life-threatening conditions, including pneumonia, infections and bedsores. “Depression in long-term care is high,” Mack said.
East Side resident Junie Harrison fell while carrying takeout food from a restaurant in December and is still in treatment. The ankle injury wasn’t too bad, but she later developed a staph infection in her knee that required surgery and then weeks of inpatient therapy at Summit’s Trace, an East Side nursing home and rehabilitation center. “I was rushing to get home, and I paid a price,” said Harrison, 59, who became seriously ill. “I tripped on a rug in December, and the next thing I knew, it was January.”
Jane Acri, a program manager at the agency on aging, said medical professionals and family members should make sure that at-risk seniors get balance testing and therapy as needed. Doctors never should chalk a fall up to old age and tell a patient to forget about it, she said. The experience often takes a psychological toll, too, robbing seniors of the confidence to walk, exercise and stay active. “Fear of falling can make people become sedentary, and then their muscles aren’t being used,” Acri said, which increases the danger. Finkes said it’s not that difficult to stay realistic and optimistic. “I recognize my weaknesses,” she said. “There’s a lot I can’t do. But there’s a lot I can. So I’m going to keep moving.”
Eleanor Rauch, 84, and Bernard Hatten, 90, follow their instructor’s lead in a balance class at the Upper Arlington Senior Center. Hatten says he enjoys the confidence such activity has given him.
Watch your step
On Falls Prevention Awareness Day in Ohio, advocates for the elderly are speaking out on the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and deaths among the elderly
- Tumbles shouldn’t be seen as a normal part of the aging process, experts say. Yet falls — many of them avoidable — take a growing toll on seniors’ quality of life and make health-care costs soar:
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 percent of adults 65 or older fall each year. Emergency-room visits and inpatient-hospitalization rates from falls are higher than from all other injuries combined.
- From 2000 to 2009, fatal falls among Ohioans 65 or older increased 125 percent. Fall-related hospitalizations jumped 61 percent from 2002 to 2009.
- Direct-treatment charges for fall-related hospitalizations in Ohio total $298.5 million a year. The total annual cost for fatal falls is estimated at $646 million.
- Risks can be reduced with increased physical activity, regular eye exams, a review of medications and removal of in-home hazards such as loose rugs and poor lighting. Experts also remind older adults to think, plan and slow down. Many falls are caused by hurrying.
Sources: Ohio Department of Aging, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Older Adult Falls Prevention Coalition
(It may seem too simplistic to believe, but yoga instruction and/or a good class on Tai Chi can be most rewarding, adding not only a large measure of safety to one’s life, but also much well-deserved “fun”. It can put us all back in charge of our bodies again and feeling somewhat ‘powerful’. . . and that’s not bad! So, have a grateful heart and be happy. Do what you love. Jan)
