Keep your balance as you age

Introduction

As we age, we fall more frequently, causing greater physical and psychological trauma. For people aged over 65, falls are the most common everyday accident leading to hospitalisation and death.

One fall in ten causes severe trauma (dislocation, fracture, etc.) that can leave after-effects that reduce independence and quality of life. What’s more, the likelihood of being admitted to a nursing home is tripled after a fall.

Why do people fall?

In most cases, a fall is the result of several factors. There are risks associated with

– Your state of health: muscular weakness (sarcopenia) problems with walking or balance, falls in the last twelve months, underlying illnesses that encourage falls.

– A poorly adapted environment: passageway cluttered with obstacles insufficient lighting absence of handholds slippery floor, poorly laid carpet.

– Risky behaviour: drinking alcohol taking medication that can affect alertness underestimating the risks in everyday life: rushing, doing housework at heights, not wearing vision or hearing aids, etc.

DID YOU KNOW?
One person in three over the age of 65 falls at least once a year. Over the age of 80, one person in two falls. And the majority of falls occur at home.

Osteoporosis
After the age of 50, one woman in three and one man in five will fracture a bone at least once as a result of osteoporosis. Nine times out of ten, as a result of a fall.

What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis weakens bones by making them more porous. The skeleton becomes weaker. This greatly increases the risk of fracture, even in the event of a minor impact or a fall from a height. Fractures of the wrist, hip or spine are the most frequently associated with this disease.

What are the causes?
Advancing age is associated with bone loss – which accelerates in women at the menopause – and can lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can also be induced by certain pathologies and the use of treatments, in particular oral cortisone-based drugs. Bone loss is increased by the absence of regular physical activity.

What are the consequences?
Osteoporosis-related fractures can cause lasting disabilities that reduce quality of life. They are also responsible for a high mortality rate. In fact, one person in five dies within a year of suffering a hip fracture.

In cases of established osteoporosis, various drugs are used to strengthen the density and quality of the bones. After a few years of treatment, the risk of fracture can be reduced by 50%.

For further information, please follow this link: 
https://www.hug.ch/sites/interhug/files/documents/prevention-chutes.pdf

We offer Falls Prevention Courses 1x/week every Tuesday from 11am-12pm.

You can enrol through private session packs or under a Physiotherapy prescription. Covered by your basic or supplementary insurance, depending on your insurance policy and excess.

– Pack of 10 sessions CHF 150 (CHF 15 per session)

– Prescription from the treating physician (Balance problems, Risk of falls, Fall Prevention Group Courses)