| Fall Prevention
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Visit Freedom Eldercare for more information and to download our free resources.
For more ideas on ways to research and make wise choices, we recommend the following resources:
Guidelines for the Prevention of Falls in Older Persons
Information for caregivers and family members of the elderly on methods to prevent falls in the elderly population.
International Fall Prevention Institute
This site contains information on statistics and helpful links for fall prevention.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Contains information on how to identify elderly who are at risk for falls, and how to prevent falls in those individuals.
Tremblay, K. R. and C. E. Barner, "Preventing Falls in the Elderly,"Colorado State University Extension
Causes and prevention of falls in the elderly population.
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging consumer pamphlet "A patient's guide to preventing falls"
An informational pamphlet on preventing falls in the geriatric community.
Improve Balance: The AGS Foundation of Health in Aging
An informational pamphlet on ways to improve balance in 10 minutes a day.
Reduce Risk of Falling: The AGS Foundation of Health in Aging
An informational pamphlet on ways to reduce your risk of falling.
Danger of Falls in Elderly: The AGS Foundation of Health in Aging
Information on the danger of falls in the elderly community.
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DID YOU KNOW?
20% of the population accounts for 86% of the healthcare
costs.
The top 1% of people who utilize
healthcare account for 27% of healthcare expenditures, with the average cost of this 1% at $58,000 a year,
and 67% of
these healthcare costs spent
in a hospital.
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Greetings!
Your time is valuable, and we appreciate your reading our newsletter.
In order to build a stronger community that is aware of issues in home
care, home health care, aging and eldercare, we offer this monthly
newsletter. Our intent is to share information that is topical,
educational and of interest. Please let us know if you have questions
or comments.
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Each year, U.S. hospitals have 300,000 admissions for broken hips, and falling is often the cause of those fractures
Balance
exercises help avoid the disability - often permanent - that may result
from falling. There is a lot of overlap between strength and balance
exercises; very often, one exercise serves both purposes.
Any
of the lower-body exercises for strength are also balance exercises.
They include plantar flexion, hip flexion, hip extension, knee flexion,
and side leg raise. Just doing regularly scheduled strength exercises
will improve balance at the same time. However, doing strength
exercises too often can do more harm than good. Simply do strength
exercises, and incorporate balance techniques slowly.
Read more.
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"Non-compliant" patients lead to adverse outcomes
Recent
studies show that more than 70% of patients do not receive recommended
preventative care, while over 50% of chronic disease patients do not
receive the follow-up care indicated by evidence-based guidelines.
According to results from the 2006 DOQ-IT Study and the 2005 HEDIS
Study, patients who are "non-compliant" with preventative and follow-up
care recommendations often fall off the radar screen, leading to
adverse outcomes for the patients. New software is now available to
physicians' offices that tracks recommended care from annual physicals,
to diabetics getting their HbA1c checked, to vaccinations,
immunizations, and health screenings. See www.phytel.com
for more information on the software that automatically notifies
patients of needed health care actions and tracks patients for
compliance, while measuring quality. The study referenced can be found
here:
http://www.mass.gov/ |
The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder
Abuse estimates that more than a million elderly are abused or
neglected in the U.S. each year
Most often, the culprit
is a blood relative. It's estimated that 90 percent of elderly abuse is
committed by family members -- with adult children making up 40% of
that total and spouses comprising 27%. In Indiana, the Elder Crimes
Task Force, in collaboration with the Monroe County prosecutor's
office, Indiana Legal Services, and Bloomington Hospital, produced a
DVD video called "Power of Attorney: What You Need to Know." It
educates people on how to protect themselves when signing a power of
attorney document, and on other matters, such as how to appoint a
health care representative to make decisions regarding their health
care should they become incapacitated.
The DVD can be purchased at www.savingourparents.com for $29.95. |
Shingles vaccine recommended by the CDC
Officials
at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say people
over age 60 should get the Zostavax vaccine to protect themselves from
shingles. Researchers have found the vaccine cuts the occurrence of
shingles by about 50% in people age 60 and older, and it reduces the
risk by 64% in people ages 60 to 69. The CDC says people ages 60 years
and older should get the single dose of Zostavax even if they have
already suffered a bout of shingles.
Read more.
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Women with vitamin D deficiency are nearly twice as likely to have back pain
Scientists
at the University of Delaware have found that older women who have low
levels of vitamin D may have a higher risk of suffering back pain. The
researchers looked at blood levels of vitamin D in 958 people 65 and
older. 58% of the women in the study, and 27% of the men, had at least
moderate pain in some part of their body. For men, there was no
relationship between vitamin D levels and pain. But the researchers
found that women with vitamin D deficiency were nearly twice as likely
to have back pain that was moderate or worse.
Read more. |
Balance exercises improve stability, and help prevent falls
Studies
suggest that tai chi may improve balance and help prevent falls in
older adults. Tai chi is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle
physical exercise. Tai chi is performed standing with a defined series
of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each movement or
posture flows into the next without pausing. Long-term tai chi
practitioners have improved knee joint stability, which aids in balance.
To review simple exercises that help in maintaining balance as one ages, visit:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/balance-exercises/SM00049
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Just say "no" to those calories and reduce dementia risk
A
recent study showed that obese people with a large waist size were the
most likely to develop Alzheimer's. This new study found that keeping
that fat on in your 40s could double or even triple your risk of
Alzheimer's disease. Researchers looked at 6,583 people and followed
their progress over 30 years. They found that those who had larger
waists during middle age were in some cases 270% more likely to develop
dementia than the people who had smaller waists. This remained true
even if people did not have a body mass index (BMI) that qualified them
as obese.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7314458.stm |
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About Freedom Eldercare
Freedom Eldercare is New Jersey's leader in comprehensive eldercare service delivery, providing geriatric care management, home care and home health services plus professional education and training. Home care and geriatric care management services are provided based on individually designed recommendations for care. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.freedomeldercare.com or call (866) 7-FREEDOM. |
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