Costs Of Falls And Senior Balance Exercises

Senior Balance Exercises Reduce The Risk Of Falling

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

The financial and lifestyle cost of a fall is enormous and practicing senior balance exercises  can help to minimize the  potential of a fall. Please see  http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Medical researchers such as Susan L. Vaught, MD have shown that falls are an increasing problem as people age. The healthcare costs of falls (hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, equipment, home health services, and institutionalization) can be as high as $500 million a year. The emotional, physical, and personal costs to the individual are even higher. Most falls could be prevented by a vigilant physician anticipating, assessing, and correcting fall risks, which may be medical, mechanical, or environmental. The impact of chronic disease and medication, balance and gait, and home risks should be assessed routinely. Balance and gait can be usefully evaluated with the Get Up and Go test and the Tinetti Balance and Gait test. The test results will indicate areas of further investigation. A healthcare team approach using physician specialists, allied health professionals, and ancillary services will provide the maximum benefit to the patient. Fall prevention through proper assessment and intervention will not only decrease morbidity and mortality, but will also help maintain patient independence and quality of life, a primary goal of geriatric care. Falls are an important public health concern. They can result in serious injuries, enduring disabilities, drastic lifestyle changes, escalating healthcare expenses, and even death. Fall-associated healthcare costs in the United States have been estimated as high as $500 million a year . This does not even begin to assess the individual morbidity involved (disability, dependence, depression, unemployment, inactivity). Fall prevention should be of paramount concern to healthcare professionals and should be reevaluated on a regular basis. Falls may happen to anyone, but their incidence does increase with age. Some estimate that about 33% of community-dwelling elderly (65 or older) fall at least once a year. This increases to about 50% for those in nursing homes. Forty percent (40%) of these people require hospitalization, 10% to 25% of whom have serious outcomes. Thankfully, medical researchers have proven that performing senior balance exercises on a routine basis can improve steadiness and reduce the risk of falling.

Use Senior Balance Exercises To Enhance Stability

     The best recommendation for enhancing steadiness and limiting the potential of falling is to rehearse senior balance exercises every day. One basic equilibrium routine involves standing with feet shoulder width a part and  concentrating on the sense of touch between your feet and the floor. By using this stability technique every time you stand up, you will be able to maximize your sensory input from your feet to the balance center in your brain, resulting in improved balance and reduced falling. You can practice this senior balance exercise and other progressive exercises by following along under the direction of a knowledgeable physical therapist in the exercise for balance dvd.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    Don't  be one of the many seniors who will fall this year. Instead, begin the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The easy to follow Balance DVD is an excellent educational DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The comprehensive DVD is fully loaded with the best balance and strength exercises needed to enhance senior fitness and to perform basic activities like grocery shopping, walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like playing golf,  dancing and hiking. In the Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, steadiness techniques and balance routines from a licensed Physical Therapist who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 20 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

Don't wait another day-- start balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/