Lifestyle and Wellness Tips for Preventing Falls

While the risk of falling cannot be eliminated, maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle can significantly reduce it. 

Get Enough Exercise

The most essential fall prevention tip is to stay active as much as your body will allow. Weight-bearing activities help maintain bone mass and protect your joints. Additionally, many exercises can help improve your balance. 

According to the Arthritis Foundation, exercise increases joint lubrication, promotes circulation, reduces inflammation, and strengthens the muscles around the joints. Strong muscles around the joints and adjoining bones lessen the strain on joints during everyday movements, making it easier to avoid falling.

Focus on exercises that strengthen your leg muscles and improve balance. According to the National Council on Aging, walking is a great exercise, but it won’t strengthen your leg muscles unless you walk uphill or up stairs.

Before starting any exercise program, consult with your doctor to ensure your chosen mode of exercise is safe for your body. Consider consulting with a personal trainer to ensure you maintain proper form. Improper form can lead to injuries.

Strength-Building Exercises

·         Sit-to-stand chair exercises: Sit down in a chair and slowly stand up. Repeat. Use a chair with armrests.

·         Standing heel raises: Stand up straight, using the back of a chair for support. Raise onto your toes, lower back down, and repeat.

·         Lunges: Stand up straight. Move your right leg forward, bending your knee at a right angle. Your left knee should move straight down toward the floor without moving inward. Have a table or countertop beside you for support.

Exercises for Balance

·         Stand on one foot: Hold onto a stable surface, such as the back of a chair, raise one foot, and hold the stance. Let go of the surface when you feel steady, and hold the position as long as possible. Grab back onto the surface when you start to feel unsteady. Repeat on the other side.

·         Side-Stepping: With your hands on a table or counter in front of you, stand up straight and take sideways steps from one end of the counter to the other. Touch the tabletop as needed to maintain your balance. Repeat in the opposite direction.

·         Walk backward: Use a hallway or table for support and practice walking backward.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi offers benefits for strength and balance. Numerous studies have confirmed that it is effective in reducing the risk of falls in older adults. Tai Chi exercises improve balance through a series of movements that require you to control your posture, rotate your trunk, and transfer your weight. These movements provide some strength training and improve your center of gravity. 

The longer you practice Tai Chi, the greater the benefits. Overall, the long-term benefits of Tai Chi include improved balance while standing still and during movements like walking. 

Consume a Healthy Diet

A study published in the Journal of Aging and Health identified a strong association between malnutrition and fall risk. Malnutrition can lead to sarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle mass. This condition can increase joint inflammation and weakness, which in turn increases the risk of falling and sustaining an injury from a fall. Malnutrition can also increase the following risk factors for falls:

·         Dizziness

·         Fainting spells

·         Depression

·         Reduced alertness

·         Lower cognition

Malnutrition isn’t just a lack of food. It can also occur due to poor dietary choices. If you consume excess sugar, you increase the risk of developing diabetes. Eating too little protein can contribute to the risk of osteoporosis. Consuming too much of the wrong foods and not enough of the right foods can also increase fatigue, resulting in a tendency to fall. 

A healthy diet for seniors includes the following:

·         A variety of foods with a focus on leafy greens and protein

·         Foods low in sugar and carbohydrates, mainly processed foods

·         A variety of protein foods, such as meats, dairy products, and beans

·         Healthy fats like avocado, olive, and coconut oils

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Drink Plenty of Fluids

Dehydration can lead to light-headedness, reduced blood pressure, fatigue, confusion, and kidney problems, all of which can increase your risk of falls. Your body needs water and electrolytes to stay hydrated. Electrolytes are minerals, such as potassium and calcium.

Most older adults can prevent dehydration by eating regular meals and drinking at least eight glasses of water daily. Avoid diuretics like alcohol and caffeine, as they can increase dehydration. Talk to your doctor about the amount of fluids you should consume. Too much water consumption can be dangerous for people with certain health conditions.

Physiotherapy

If you are an older person with compromised strength and balance, a physiotherapist is the ideal professional to help you improve your overall mobility. You will be provided with a personalised plan to address all your issues and help you feel and move better than ever. Pain and immobility do not have to be a necessary part of the aging process.