Finally, do you have any specific exercise or low-impact strength training programs that you recommend? She is hesitant to do more involved exercises because they can be complicated, or because she says that she avoids getting down on the floor because she struggles to get up easily. You have already done a good job identifying several contributing factors, so the question is which can be modified. Exercise would be helpful, it will improve her ability to recover from losing her balance and also is associated with less risk of injury when people do fall.
Most people have difficulty motivating to do a program on their own, plus they might be doing the exercises incorrectly. So being in a group or in physical therapy is a good idea. For instance, squats and deep lunges can be very difficult for older adults to do safely and effectively.
Hope this helps and good luck! Thanks for this advice for preventing falls. It sounds important to first know what could be considered a fall risk especially if it can help you identify areas where someone might fall. So lately with my falls and busting up my knees pretty badly I need to know why I fall so much.
Going to dr in morning and see if they can check my heart but what other health concerns should I be looking for. I have type 2 diabetes on methformin , depression, on bp meds. We do have lots of articles on the site and then the Fall Prevention Mini-Course does explain it all in more detail and walks you through a workbook, to help identify issues to ask your doctors about.
The good stuff is all in the recommendations for clinicians; they are available to the public but of course the tone is more technical. Regarding a neighbors locked doors, do not hesitate to call I fainted and fell.
Was able to call when I became conscious. Fire Dept broke in. Prob saved my life. Thanks for sharing this tip. Glad the emergency services were able to reach you during your time of need.
It can also be a good idea to have a lockbox let a few trusted family members or friends know how to access it , so that family can enter and check in if it seems necessary e. Are there signs that an elderly person is act risk of falling that can be monitored from a fitbit type device? Change heart rate, blood pressure, balance for example. The main risk factor is having had a fall or being afraid of falling. Otherwise a wearable is not going to be as useful as a decent clinical evaluation for fall risk factors.
But in most older adults, falls are multi-factorial and to effectively reduce the risk requires an individualized multi-component intervention. Most older adults also require some form of balance or strength exercises.
My almost 98 year old mother in law is living with us. She has fallen backwards twice in the last week. I am having her eyes tested and also have an appt with her PCP to check her meds. Anything else I should be checking? Thank you in advance for any help. Sorry to hear of her falls. Otherwise, almost everyone her age suffers from poor balance usually for a variety of reasons and low leg strength is also common. Exercises can help, although it usually takes some work to set up a routine that the older person will stick with and that actually improves strength and balance.
In the past year his balance has gotten so bad he as fallen 5 times in the house, once landing him in the hospital. Yesterday he fell walking out of church and wound up with several cuts, which do not head due to the blood thinners. His right shoulder is almost nonfunctional due to what i think is a blown rotator cuff. To top all this off, he refuses to use any walking aids, no cane, no walker, nadda. Is there anything you can think of to help stabilize him?
There might be chronic problems contributing but given his cancer and blood thinners, a new problem such as a low red blood cell count is also quite possible.
But before spending a lot of time trying to modify his fall risk factors, you may also want to talk to his health providers about his overall prognosis and the bigger picture of his health care. Especially if he has stage 4 lung cancer, does he want to spend whatever time he has left doing exercises to improve his strength or balance? Especially if time may be limited, it is important to focus your energies on helping him in ways that he welcomes, and otherwise on focusing on your relationship with him.
Hello Dr. I am not sure if you will see this since apparently this article is a bit older. My mom will be 79 in December. She is a lung cancer survivor diagnosis and surgery to remove lobe of left lung and a long term smoker. She also has high blood pressure, diagnosed as borderline diabetic no insulin needed , mild COPD, and has a deadened thyroid, taking thyroid medication for that. She was fairly active worked, social activities on occasion, bowling, dancing, raising 3 kids etc in her younger years but has been sedentary for quite some time now due to health issues.
She has been complaining for a while of pain in her lower back and hips. She said if she bends over or lifts her leg, it eases slightly but I am noticing increasing limitations in her mobility. She tires and feels weak easily. She walks perhaps 10 to 15 feet recently and is either in so much pain she has to stop for a bit or, is slightly short of breath.
She has begun to have a lot of falls over the past few months—perhaps 6 or so in the past 2 to 3 months. She also around that time began bleeding easily—even a little tiny scratch could cause bleeding that might last half a day or so. She has woken with her pajama leg bloody if she picks at a dry piece of skin in the middle of the night for instance. Her doc finally sent her to a hematologist she is also seeing a dermatologist due to a sudden case of eczema that developed about a year or so ago and her hematologist says she has a clotting factor disorder.
Then she began losing bowel control she has irritable bowel syndrome but never lost control as frequently as recently from time to time. She fell yesterday going into her doctors office—they sent her next door to the hospital. She scraped the top layers of skin off from wrist to elbow and the hospital cleaned it, bandaged her up, sent her home. She was hospitalized early in June for the weakness, severe dehydration despite drinking plenty of water. She is also on Lasix and they said she had an acute kidney injury and they said there was some internal bleeding.
However the care was not up to par and they tried to do a colonoscopy and endoscopy but she had a mild heart attack for the first time and went into Afib on the table. They aborted the procedure. She later had the endo done and that was fine. The falls concern me as does the other issues.
What can I do to help? Who do I send her to? Hello, I do review comments all my articles regardless of how old they are, but usually only once a week and last week I was out of town.
Honestly, it sounds medically quite complicated and like there is more than garden-variety fall risk factors going on. I hope her doctors are able to figure it out soon. Hi My father had a cerebral stroke on November He is now 69 years old. He is taking Amlodipine 2. Now a days tendency of falling has been increased. Please suggest how we can overcome the tendency of fall. Your father sounds like he has many health problems and risk factors that contribute to falls. Dementia affects balance and gait.
Diabetes drugs can make blood sugar low, which can cause falls, and also long-standing diabetes can affect nerve function. To reduce his falls, you would need to work closely with a health provider to identify all his fall risk factors and then to modify those that you can. He may or may not be able to participate in balance and strength exercises. Physical therapy can also help identify a suitable walker or other assistive device.
I am a physiotherapist in Europe and i am telling my older clients to look forward instead of down at the floor while walking. I am tought this is the right way to walk and it will prevent falling. But most older clients tell me they feel safer looking down, because they can see when the floor is uneven or a curb is comming.
Most of the time they have glasses and vision is good enough. I wonder if the risk of falling is bigger when looking down change in postur or when looking forward.
I have tried to find articles on this matter, i have not found one. Will you share your expertise in this matter? Thanks for this question. I think looking up and forward seems better for posture and body mechanics, but I understand why older adults may be looking down. Ultimately I think the important question is what is feasible for the older adult. You can encourage them to look forward, but if they find it very difficult…it may be better to devote your energy and theirs to getting them to change something else…like doing their exercises to improve balance.
On the looking down versus forward issue — I look around, the floor, furniture, etc. Never do I hurry. The few seconds it takes to be aware of your environment is much better spent than falling and having to recover. I have found your article most informative and has helped me address my problem by trying to accept the my imbalance is due to the inevitable aging process.
For me, now I have a better understanding of my increased imbalance comes greater depression. They say walking is one of the best forms of exercise but wobbling around like a drunken sailor is not only embarrassing, it tends to increase the chances of a fall. The big Catch I have recovered very well from a pontine stroke and now take x-ralto.
I also take aspirin — is this a good idea? I am 76 and female. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Falls and Fractures. Related Articles. This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP.
Contact afpserv aafp. Want to use this article elsewhere? Get Permissions. Read the Issue. Sign Up Now. Next: Temporal Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica.
How Can I Prevent a Fall? Apr 1, Issue. Am Fam Physician. What are some causes of falls? What can I do to prevent falls? Be sure your home is well lit so that you can see things you might trip over. Use night lights in your bedroom, bathroom, hallways and stairways. Remove throw rugs or fasten them to the floor with carpet tape. Tack down carpet edges.
Don't put electrical cords across pathways. Have grab bars put in your bathtub, shower and toilet area. Last week I had a cortisone shot deep in my rt. My problem now is that I keep falling out of bed! In 2weeks I fell 3 times. We got a special bar to put under the mattress that blocks me from falling out of bed.
Since then I have used the bar faithfully! My question is; why do I keep falling out of bed??? I rarely fell out of bed until about a year ago. Yikes, this falling out of bed does sound concerning.
They will probably want to know what is happening when you fall out of bed. Are you asleep, or awake? Does it tend to happen at the same time? Has anyone noticed whether you are experiencing restlessness or unusual movements while in bed?
Have any medications changed? Figuring out the patterns, triggers, and related symptoms is often very helpful when evaluating falls. This can reduce falls, but the downside is that an older person often needs help to stand up from such a low position.
Thanks for giving such a detailed list of things to have a doctor check for after an elderly person falls! Believe your article covers what I need to check on given 3 falls in the past 10 months.
First was due to freshly washed bathroom floor and no cone warning of that. Others because sidewalks and pavements in MY and LI where I live are disaster areas and I walk 7 to 10 miles a day weather permitting. Going to check re B12 which had allergic reaction to many yrs ago but 2. I am 73 btw steady on feet take no drugs and bloods are always excellent.
Thinking of exploring OTHER things re strengthening lower body to give me ability to keep from falling. Anything you could add would be greatly appreciated. Thx Marilyn. Sorry to hear of your recent falls. Certainly reasonable to check on vitamin B In most older adults, falls are multifactorial and due to several causes and risk factors, so reducing risk means identifying as many as possible and chipping away at them.
Vision assessment has a mixed track record in reducing falls, it seems to depend on what type of vision problem there is and how they attempt to correct it. One randomized trial did find a reduction in falls with the substitution of single lens glasses for multifocal glasses during outdoor and walking activities.
Walking is great exercise but often additional exercises e. Thanks for pointing out that it is important to check the blood pressure during sitting and standing because it can be related to lightheadedness.
My sister had a fall yesterday on the stairs because she got out of balance without any reason at all. I think it might have to do with her blood pressure. I will make sure that the doctor will do this procedure once I take my sister to an expert tomorrow. Good luck getting her evaluated and reducing the risk of future falls. These changes may or may not be related to her prior fall.
In truth, both thinking problems and falls tend to be due to multiple causes at the same time, some of which overlap. You can help your mother by continuing to encourage a medical visit.
You can also report your concerns to her usual doctor and see if that clinician might be able to call your mom and encourage her to come in. Hello, I hope I cam also ask advice. My Grandfather had suffered a very strong fever that sapped all his energy. He said that he was very cold and he was shivering. Although he felt hot, his chill last for several minutes until it ended with him very weak, having shortness of breath, and sweating.
He started talking about strange things and it is probably a delirium from high fever so we have called an ambulance. Now, my grandfather had gone out of the hospital and he was suffering from low fever almost everyday however at some time, it would fade away.
Most of the time he always feel cold and it is something that makes me nervous because we would have to cover him especially his feet with thich clothes. This gives me nervous because I hope not to see him chill from a very high fever anymore. Beside from feeling weak and tired, he always complained about his feet that seemed to swell.
Because of that, he always lays on bed. I was thinking he was a strong man and a healthy one. Just two months earlier, he could even lift and carry more than half a sack of vegetables to the market. He was sixty seven years old and he had just stopped smoking in the month of December last year. Seeing him like this now pains me very much. He needs a comprehensive medical evaluation. Your family may need to ask extra questions so that they explain what they checked for, and what they think is causing his symptoms.
No opioids involved but Botox, anti-seizure medication, anti-emetics, and triptans and occasional ER visits for DHE Today I tripped over a curb and was unable to recover my balance. I went down and scraped some skin and pride. I trip over something or twist my ankle and instead of doing the quick recover, I fall.
Is this worth bringing up? It does sound like your post-migraine state makes you more vulnerable to falls. This can help with your recovery when you lose balance. We have more articles on fall prevention on the site, or if you want something that is more structured, I also have a mini-course designed to help people identify issues and potential fall reduction approaches to discuss with their doctors.
Do keep bringing up the falls with your doctors. They should evaluate you further, but you might have to insist to make sure it happens. Good luck and take care. We have to be conscious of the time passing by and get ourselves prepared for the upcoming challenges. Perceiving age-related vulnerability — whether in ourselves or in our older parents — is a tricky business. Attention to their dignity and autonomy is essential.
My husband and I live independently and require no caregiving. I do yoga twice a week and see a chiropractor twice a month for spinal adjustments. Have a fairly active social and church life.
About three weeks ago I tripped over a potted plant while watering my garden and hit my head on the patio. No blood, and I was careful to observe my behavior for the rest of the day — no unusual sleepiness and nothing strange with vision or eyes. Yesterday and last night I had a severe headache I rarely get headaches. I hit the back of my head left of center and the headache has been mostly on the top of my head.
Do you think the headache could be related to the 3-week old fall? If your headaches or if other worrisome symptoms persist, I would recommend consulting with your usual health provider. She is going down hill since then. Any suggestions on how I can help her? Sorry to not reply sooner, this one slipped past me somehow.
Did she get the CT scan eventually? In some cases, older adults can develop something called a chronic subdural hematoma after hitting their head, and this can cause symptoms. Otherwise, I would say she needs a comprehensive evaluation to evaluate her current symptoms. For instance, they should check to see if she has any neurological symptoms, or any new confusion, etc.
These might provide clues as to what might be contributing to her weakness and poor balance. You could also consider physical therapy exercises for balance, as these might help her recover her confidence.
Doctors kept her under observation for 3 days. Her Blood pressure went normal in few hours they did few tests and recommended us to follow up with Neurologist and a cardiologist. There is no general information about falls follow-up that I can share to be helpful. If you are concerned about what is going on, I would recommend asking the doctors many more questions about what they think is going on, what their plan is, what you should expect.
I hope you get some answers soon, good luck! My 81 year old husband has been falling a lot. At that point, he has no strength in his legs or feet and even has difficulty pulling himself up with his arms. Once he is up, he can get around normally, but his walking has become extremely slow. He had a knee replacement 2 years ago and complains that it, as well as the other knee, are painful. He has peripheral neuropathy in his feet plus a number of other health issues to deal with.
He sees our primary doctor at least every 2 weeks for blood tests on Warfarin. He takes 12 different prescribed medicines including 3 for blood pressure, one for pain, one for breathing issues, A Fib, cholesterol, etc. I am feeling totally helpless. Asked doc if we could cut back on some of meds but doc commented that they are keeping him alive. Any suggestions? For many older adults, decreased leg strength and balance are an issue, and in most cases, these can improve through physical therapy.
The key is to do exercises that specifically focus on balance and strength, such as the Otago program. Re medications keeping him alive: in most cases medications are reducing the risk of some later event. It is often possible to cut back the medications at least a little bit. For every medication, the likely benefit needs to outweigh the burdens and risk of harm. Reducing medication doses often results in only a small decrease in benefit, but can sometimes improve quality of life.
Sorry if you are in this position. You could consider a visit with a different doctor, or perhaps getting another family member to accompany you and advocate. How to find geriatric care — or a medication review — near you. My dad fell last night, laid on the dining room floor all night. He said he fell around ish. He was very weak and thirsty. He wet himself while laying there. Small black eye abrasions on his chin and bad ones on elbow and knee from trying to get up.
He said he tripped over the roll of carpet from the floor renovation. We did take him to the doctor on Friday. Doctor did examine, I questioned whether he a a mini stroke. He said no. He drew some blood, no results yet. He ordered in home PT, they will be coming Tuesday. My question is, why after the fall did he loose complete loss of leg function. He needs round the clock care. Sounds great! Able to recall memories from childhood to present. Loves telling stories. Being on the floor for hours can lead to muscle damage.
People also may have bruises or sprains that affect their mobility. Sorting this out is complicated and requires a careful history and exam, and also sometimes seeing what happens during the days after the fall.
Physical therapy is generally a good idea, as most older adults will benefit from exercises that improve strength and balance. Hope he feels better soon. If he continues to fall or look wobbly, I would recommend asking his health providers for further evaluation.
Never fell before and always is up to date on appointments. She was due for a blood work appointment. Which she had to fast the night before, that early morning around am she got up and tripped over her own feet and fell. She hit her head and hurt her arm, she told the nurse thankfully at her appointment she was given the ok, just take it easy…..
I did not find this out til 2 days later. Was this possible fall due to fasting for blood work, do I need to wait on the results of her blood work, or do I need to start watching for more signs of possible falling issues? If an older person has fallen, especially if it was bad enough to cause an injury, we would normally pursue more of an evaluation. Bloodwork is usually part of that, and will help the health care team check to see if anemia or another blood work abnormality might be related to the fall.
It is usually when she overdoes it. She has early stage 1 to 2 CHF and Atrial fib which caued a stroke 10 years ago. She has been on warfarin since. She was seen at the hospital yesterday but no obvious cause found for her blackouts. Blood pressure checked standing and sitting.
Dr thought not TIA or epilepsy as no fitting but sending her for brain scan. Not sure why. I thought her heart problems would be more likely cause. Trying to heal for a long time now. Need to shed weight. Wish you could help me.
Sorry to hear of your falls. I would recommend a comprehensive evaluation to assess for various fall risks. I was looking around for information. My neighbor in the complex, 85, took a fall and fell on her head face first, it was slippery, and not due to most of the reasons described. Her entire face was black for weeks. They took her in an ambulance when she fell, and then was sent home. I was wondering if she had a concussion, and if the doctor checked for it. If you ever do see her seeming very confused or out of it, or if she falls again, you could consider calling emergency services.
Hello doctor, My mom aged 53, had foot drop for past 5 years and she could balance and walk and she will have back pain as well. However she is taking regular tablets now like Omnocortil etc. Few day back she hot severe headache and when we take MRI for brain, observations were mutilple tiny bright signals noticed in both Corona radiata and centrum ischema related changes. Will this affect the brain? And Dr said, this is reason that blood circulation is lost to foot which caused the drop and lost balancing.
Are these related and how to proceed with the treatment? I am afraid if this would be life threatening. Kindly advice. I would recommend asking her doctors to explain what the MRI findings mean. You will also need to ask the doctors to clarify whether they think the MRI findings are related to her foot drop and balance problems. Hard to say if her current difficulties are related to the fall in or not, but certainly sounds worrisome if she can no longer lift her legs and is having difficulty walking at age Honestly, her situation sounds unusual, so I would recommend specialty consultation with neurology.
Thank you for your terrific information. Unfortunately, I just had my 2nd big fall 1 week ago—and I am suffering enormous back pain. You have been through a lot! I am very sorry about your fall and your pain. It is sometimes possible to get physical therapy at home through home health care; you could ask your health provider if you might qualify.
Generally, a person has to be homebound. You clearly have a lot of spirit! As you know, a positive and determined attitude can make a huge difference. Kernisan, i am in awe at your dedication on this. I am looking after my mom, now aged 82, since the last 4 years, and after she had a prosthetic implant owing to a fracture of the femor collar of her left leg, this was not caused by a fall.
She also has osteoporosis. Things are certainly not easy in managing things about and around her. She fell on 20th Oct , and her assessment on the 21st had nothing in line with your directives, they only focused on her previous operated area, which was fine, but she did have a hairline fracture in the hip bone on the same side.
Complications just seem to be popping up one after the other since then, like loss of urine and more recently stool control, inability to stand up on her own, almost none. After reading your article, i feel it would be great if there is any way i could have a skype session for some directions, whereby i can make things easy for her.
Unfortunately i do not have access to such detail oriented medical care. I have shared my email address in the box below, any help will be huge for me. That is great that you are being proactive and taking a close look at the care she is getting. I see from your IP address that you are located outside the US. I must say that many families within the US are also having difficulty accessing good geriatric care.
0コメント