Tips for staying ‘Topside’!
Posted by activerxpt on February 6, 2010
Staying 'Topside"- one leg at a time!
Prevent Falls, and Increase Function, Independence and Quality of Life!
What’s up with falling down?
At first glance, the statistics on Falls seems to be full of nothing but ‘bad news’!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …
- More than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States.
- The rates of fall-related deaths among older adults has risen significantly over the past decade.
- In 2000, direct medical costs totaled $19 billion for nonfatal fall injuries.
- Up to 30% of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures, or head traumas. These injuries can make it hard to get around and limit independent living. They also can increase the risk of early death.
- Most fractures among older adults are caused by falls.
- Many people who fall, even those who are not injured, develop a fear of falling. This fear may cause them to limit their activities, leading to reduced mobility and physical fitness, and increasing their actual risk of falling.
However there is also GOOD NEWS…
AGING IN AND OF ITSELF IS NOT THE CAUSE OF FALLING! Research has shown that there are a number of factors well within your control that can significantly improve your mobility, balance, stability and coordination – and so dramatically reduce your chance of falling. As your partner in Successful Aging, our mission is to show you how to make these factors part of your lifestyle and ensure that you do not become just one more fall statistic.
During my time as a research scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine and a Professor at Arizona State University I was involved in designing, researching and reviewing a variety of “fall prevention programs”. These were all ‘research-based’ and included one or more of the following components: physical factors (e.g. exercise, strength and/or balance training), environmental factors (e.g. home modification, assistive aides, ‘fallproofing’), educational factors (e.g. increasing awareness and knowledge of fall risks) and medical/clinical factors (e.g. medication compliance and dosage, clinical assessment of risk and/or cause pre- and post-fall).
All these factors have been shown to help reduce falls. However, as I worked with more and more older adults I became aware of other factors that also seemed important, particularly how older adults’ lifestyle behaviors influence fall risk and frequency. We have taken the best of these ‘Best Practice’ approaches and, often in collaboration with your physician, enhanced them with what we have learned from years of hands on experience working with our patients. The end result is a comprehensive and highly effective fall prevention program that is part of your own, unique lifestyle. We call this …
The ActiveRx ‘Action Steps’ Program
What makes Action Steps different is that it does not only address the ‘Usual Suspects’ of falling, as listed above. It digs deeper, into your behaviors, your lifestyle, your aches and pains … even your low back health. We have found all of these can play a role in preventing falls but are rarely dealt with in conventional programs.
If you are concerned about falling or know someone who is, we encourage you to schedule a fall-risk screening today with one of our experts. Reference this blog posting and we will waive the fee for the initial screening. We will determine your needs and how we can meet them, jointly review your results and provide this information to your doctor if you desire to begin the program. By doing this, the program will be covered by your Medicare, Medicare Replacement Plan and Supplement Insurance. This program is brand new for 2010 and we have limited space available. If you are interested please call today so we can reserve your spot !
Be Steady, Ready … Go for 2010!
