Reducing Fall Risk: Your Home Safety Checklist

Is it challenging for you to get up from the floor? You are not alone. Many older adults find that this skill becomes more difficult as the years fly by. Being able to rise from the floor is an essential activity to live independently and do the things you need, want and love to do; from playing with grandchildren, gardening and housecleaning. In the event of a fall, being able to get back up on your feet can be a lifesaving skill. Having difficulty or even losing the ability to rise from the ground is largely due to stiff joints and weak muscles of the lower and upper body. It is a skill that can be regained and maintained with consistent practice overtime. As we age it can be common to lose range of motion at ankles and hips. The loss of ankle flexibility is essential for the ability to get off the floor yet is commonly overlooked. It is also needed for daily activities like getting up and down from the couch, sitting on the toilet, and picking something off the ground. (Stay tuned, we will talk about ankle mobility in next month’s blog!) Flexibility and strength of the lower and upper body are functional fundamentals that are commonly lost with aging and inactivity and are needed to get from the floor to your feet include:

Here’s something we can all agree on. The older you get, the more experiences you have including the good, the bad and the losses. Aging is a great gift and when times get tough, you learn strategies that strengthen your resilience muscles. Just like the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is quoted as saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Resilience is what I admire most about my older adult clients. That ability to move through life’s challenges, to adapt to difficult situations, mentally and emotionally while learning, growing and becoming stronger. One of my MoveMor “frequent fliers” is a gal 92 years of age who recently lost her 67-year-old daughter. When I asked her how she was doing after class last week with sadness and a smile she said, “You have to deal with the cards that you’re dealt.” So true and you need strategies to manage your health emotionally, mentally and physically. It is such a blessing and privilege to work with older adults who have incredible experiences, stories and wisdom to share. At 61 years of age, I am blessed to be in great health and happily married for 33 years! My husband and I have raised three children who are amazing young adults living their lives. Now, in a couple of short weeks the nest will be empty. It’s a big transition time that doesn’t get a lot of discussion, but it should. It’s a time for reflection and big adjustments. Transitions are difficult as you feel the sand shifting under your feet. It feels unstable and uncomfortable. Everyone talks about the “empty nest” but I didn’t anticipate our children living far from home. Two are living on the central coast of California. They love the beach, having a 10-minute commute to work and access to fantastic fresh foods at the farmer’s markets. Now my baby boy is 6’3” and 22 years of age who graduated 4 months ago with his degree in architecture. He landed a fantastic internship in New York City. I am so happy for him as this is an amazing opportunity, but I am going to miss him, especially being so far away. It’s so wonderful seeing your children grow and become adults. As a parent, the most important thing is for your children to be happy and healthy. They are happy which makes me happy. But it’s still tough when they leave and fly far from the nest. That’s hard for mama bears. Now I have that same sense of sadness and cry like I did before each of my children left home to pursue their dreams. There is that sinking pit in my stomach, muscle tightness, and sleep disturbances surrounding the dreaded anticipation of him leaving. Our nest will be truly empty for the first time and our adult children will be on the west and east coast! This is a big transition time in my life, filled with emotions and the need for reflection. Our time on this earth is finite. Nothing is permanent so enjoy and relish each precious moment that you have with those you love.  When tough times and losses come your way, give yourself grace. Emotions have a huge impact on health and should be acknowledged, not buried or ignored. Take time for yourself. Process how and why you are feeling the way you do and nurture yourself.

Our lymphatic system is an extensive network of vessels and nodes that is often overlooked and integral to immune function and waste removal, significantly impacting physical, mental and emotional health. Unlike blood vessels that have the heart as a pump, the lymphatic system depends on movement for flow and function. Approximately 30% of my female clients who are over the age of 65, have lymphedema that causes swelling and discomfort. This can negatively impact physical function, mobility and balance. It can decrease the ability to perform activities of daily living and raises concerns about the ability to maintain an active lifestyle and functional independence as the years fly by. Cancer survivors have often had surgeries that involve the removal of lymph nodes that disrupts this powerful drainage system, leaving them with fluid imbalances, swelling and lymphedema in the lower and upper body. As we age, our lymphatic system can become clogged and backed up leaving us with excessive fluid accumulating in ankles, legs and arms. This can cause tightness, stiffness, fatigue and joint pain. Improving lymph flow can reduce swelling, boost detoxification and the immune system. It can relieve fatigue and joint pain as well as improve proprioception that is a prerequisite for the balance and confidence needed to reduce the risk of injury and falls.

Who doesn't love a success story?! Check out this video for some education and encouragement as Deanna shares her triumph over restoring her proprioception following her treatment for a brain tumor that damaged her body-brain communication that made her walking difficult and uncoordinated, putting her at a high risk of falling. Today Deanna walks with control and confidence! And you can too. Need balance? There is a special discount offer at the end so you can save $$$ and your independence at the same time! Act now! Offer good through August 4, 2024.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ~ Hippocrates

As we age our risk of falling increases. Back in 1986, Mary Tinetti, a pioneer in fall risk and fall prevention research at the Yale University School of Medicine identified over 160 independent risk factors for falls! That was before “smartphones” so that number is certainly higher now as cellphones can be a major distraction. The risk factors she identified can be thought of as intrinsic (occurring within the body) and extrinsic (occurring outside the body). Research shows that the risk of falls increases linearly with the more risk factors that are present (1). The more risk factors we can reduce, the lower our chance of falling. That’s the purpose of today’s blog.

One of the biggest concerns of older adults is a four letter word and that is “fall.” This is understandable since the results of a fall can be devastating. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 of 3 people over age 65 and 1 of 2 people over age 85 will fall each year. Falls are the leading cause of accidental death and injuries in older adults. One fall can result in injuries ranging from minor bruises to wrist or hip fractures or a brain injury. This can have devastating effects on your physical and psychological function including reduced mobility and activity levels, an increased fear of falling, low confidence and keep you from going out and about. Here’s the good news, your risk of falling can be reduced. Just like people age differently with some being as healthy as horse into their tenth decade like Blue Zone centenarians. This is largely due to consistent exercise and lifestyle choices. Kudos for being here and learning about how to build your fall resilience because you desire to be the person who ages with good balance and confidence. Through awareness and understanding of what causes falls, you can take action to increase your abilities to respond quickly to save yourself from a trip or stumble. Yes, you can avoid becoming a fall statistic because falls are preventable! Let’s dive into the underlying causes of falls.

It’s no secret that balance tends to decline with age. We all take it for granted until we start noticing our balance isn’t as sharp as it used to be. You may notice that you are swaying a bit more while standing and walking, or feeling weaker or less steady. We all want it, but what is balance? We need to understand what it is in order to restore what was lost, safely, effectively and efficiently.  In science-speak, balance is the ability to maintain the body’s center of mass over its base of support. Your center of mass is a few inches below your belly button or can be thought of as your trunk. Your feet are your base of support (unless you are performing a handstand, then your hands are your base of support!) Since walking is the most functional activity we perform day-in and day-out, we will focus on balance being the ability to maintain our trunk over our feet. Balance is the ability to stay upright when standing (static balance) or when moving and performing activities like walking or climbing stairs (dynamic balance). This ability tends to decline with aging. The most common question I hear from older adult clients is, “Why am I losing balance?” Let’s find out why.

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and take a moment to remember a time you fell in love and the bliss you felt. Perhaps you thought about when you met your soulmate, the birth of a child, or when you discovered your life’s passion. You may remember your heart pounding a little harder, your mood lifted, and an extra spring in your step. How would you like to feel this every day? With physical activity and exercise, you can. Warm feelings of love are caused by chemical reactions that occur with the release of hormones and neurotransmitters inside your body and brain. The same feel good chemicals are secreted when we fall in love and when we are physically active and exercise. First, let’s distinguish the difference between physical activity and exercise. Physical activity is simply adding more movement to your day, like doing housework, gardening or dancing to a favorite song. Exercise is physical activity that is planned or structured for the purpose of training balance, strength or endurance. According to biological anthropologist and Research Professor Dr. Helen Fisher of Rutgers University, who studies love, the chemicals that the body releases when we feel love include: Dopamine creates feelings of euphoria, increased energy, focus, and attention; it also triggers an intense rush of reward and pleasure. Norepinephrine causes the fluttery feeling in your chest. As the heart goes pitter patter, your heart pounds harder and circulation increases throughout the body. Endorphins are the body’s natural pain relievers and are chemically related to morphine. They also create a sense of well-being, security and attachment. Like feelings of love, exercise releases dopamine, norepinephrine and endorphins, but they aren’t the only ones. Exercise releases even more powerful mood and mind-boosting substances into the brain, including: Serotonin which is a natural mood-enhancer that eases feelings of depression. BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) which also helps relieve depression and enhances brain health, cognition and memory. GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid) which helps calm the brain’s emotional circuitry, like Xanax® but without the side effects! Exercise is a great outlet to cope with stress better. Then of course, exercise boosts energy and vigor, positively impacting all body and brain systems, so you just feel good. Hippocrates is quoted as saying, “If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk”! Focusing on how you feel emotionally following exercise activity is a great way to fall in love with the process. This is a powerful strategy and mindset that you can put into practice so you can sustain exercise habits for your health and longevity. There isn’t a single person who always wants to exercise or do balance training, but when we embrace how much better we feel afterwards, it is motivating to choose to move. Exercise is an act of self-care and self-love. The more connected you get to falling in love with the process, the more connected you feel with yourself and others. Health is all about taking consistent steps that accumulate over time so you can move and feel better over time, too. The more you take care of yourself, the less you’ll need to see doctors. As we age, diet, medications, and stress levels all influence levels of hormones and other chemicals in our bodies and can cause them to become dysregulated, leading to mood changes, anxiety attacks, and aggression. Exercise has widespread effects on the body and brain to help balance the whole system. If there was a pill that had the same wide-ranging effects as exercise, everyone would be popping it. To experience these joyous feelings, you may be wondering how much exercise is needed; glad you asked! Research done by best-selling author Gretchen Reynolds suggests that just 20 minutes of physical activity, like walking, is all that’s needed for the euphoric feeling, and for general health and well-being. We have been led to believe that we need to work out long and hard for health benefits, but the research is mounting to dispel this long-held belief. What are you waiting for? Just put on a pair of sneakers and head out for an invigorating walk, fresh air and sunshine…and feel the love. (For quick tips on getting started, see last month’s blog, “Happy 2024! How to Create a Healthy New Habit.” )