Fall History And Senior Balance Exercises

Senior Balance Exercises Can Help Prevent Falls

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

Performing a daily routine of senior balance exercises can assist in reducing the possibility of sustaining a fall and injury for older individuals. Please see  http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Over the last several years, healthcare professionals have been working tirelessly to study the causes of falling for senior citizens. Armed with impressive data, medical professionals across the spectrum of hospitals, assisted living facilities, physical therapy clinics and health clubs have focused on fall prevention to reduce the number of falls and consequent injuries for the aging population. In response to the push to study the onset and after effects of a fall, the American Geriatrics Society has developed a screening tool that can be implemented by all healthcare professionals. The American Geriatrics Society Prevention of Falls in Older Persons Summary of Recommendations includes:

All older individuals should be asked whether they have fallen (in the past year).

• An older person who reports a fall should be asked about the frequency and circumstances of the fall(s).

• Older individuals should be asked if they experience difficulties with walking or balance.

• Older persons who present for medical attention because of a fall, report recurrent falls in the past year, or report difficulties in walking or balance (with or without activity curtailment) should have a multifactorial fall risk assessment.

• Older persons presenting with a single fall should be evaluated for gait and balance.

• Older persons who have fallen should have an assessment of gait and balance using one of the available evaluations.

• Older persons who cannot perform or perform poorly on a standardized gait and balance test should be given a multifactorial fall risk assessment.

• Older persons who have difficulty or demonstrate unsteadiness during the evaluation of gait and balance require a multifactorial fall risk assessment.

• Older persons reporting only a single fall and reporting or demonstrating no difficulty or unsteadiness during the evaluation of gait and balance do not require a fall risk assessment.

• The multifactorial fall risk assessment should be performed by a clinician (or clinicians) with appropriate skills and training.

• The multifactorial fall risk assessment should include the following

  

Senior Balance Exercises For Fall Prevention

Practicing senior balance exercises every day is essential for those older individuals who have a history of falling or who are at risk of falling for other reasons mentioned above in the assessment checklist. By knowing the potential of falling, aging seniors can prepare themselves with appropriate knowledge of stability strategies and balance exercises needed to enhance steadiness and diminish the potential of a fall. Having an understanding of what is the most common cause of a fall and what is the best way to combat a fall is the first step. falls typically occur from an older individual losing their balance as their body weight shifts beyond their control in a forwards, backwards or sideways direction. The basic way to learn how to control ones center of gravity movements is to stand with your feet shoulder width a part and rock forwards and backwards and side to side slowly and with good control. this stability technique and other senior balance exercises can be rehearsed in the comfort of your own home by following the expert instruction of a physical therapist in the exercise for balance dvd.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    For anyone with a fall history, please begin the best balance exercises, get the Exercise For Balance DVD. The professionally filmed Balance DVD is the perfect educational tool to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to follow DVD is filled  with the best balance and strength exercises needed to enhance senior fitness and to perform basic activities like walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like dancing and hiking. In the Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve balance, balance techniques and balance routines from a balance trainer (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

For anyone prone to fall, start balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see www.americangeriatrics.org