Fall Proof Stairs And Senior Balance Exercises

Avoid Falling On Stairs With Senior Balance Exercises

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

 Reducing the likelihood of falling on stairs can be accomplished by adding physical factors, stability techniques and practicing certain  senior balance exercises. Please see     http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Unfortunately, statistics reveal that one in three senior citizens fall each year. Many of those falls occur going up or down stairs. Stairs are the place where most serious injuries and deaths happen for older individuals.  Every year, thousands of elders suffer when falling on the stairs in their home. Stairway falls can result in:

•    Broken bones and other serious injuries
•    Fear of falling/loss of confidence
•    Need for hospitalization and/or nursing home care
•    Early death

In a split second, a stairway fall can take away an elder’s health and independence. While anyone can stumble on the stairs, there are certain health conditions placing elders at particular risk:

•    Poor balance
•    Impaired vision
•    Reduced leg and knee strength
•    Lack of coordination

Additionally, there are several potentially hazardous conditions of steps/stairs that increase the likelihood of falling:

•    Absence of handrails
•    Slippery steps
•    Loose or torn carpeting
•    Worn down step treads
•    Poor lighting

By answering 5 simple questions and making some simple changes to improve stair safety, the likelihood of an elder tripping, slipping or falling on the stairs can be greatly reduced. As an example, are steps in good condition and visible?

•    Replace worn treads or worn or loose carpeting that can lead to insecure footing.

•    Avoid deep pile carpeting or patterned or dark carpeting that can make it difficult to see the edges of the steps clearly (falls may occur if the edges of the steps are blurred or hard to see). Plain, light colored carpets are better. Alternatively, mark the tread edges of patterned carpets with a heavy duty adhesive tape of contrasting color.

•    Bifocals can make stairs look distorted (wearers should switch from multifocal to single lens distance glasses when walking stairs). 

     Use handrails. Handrails help support balance when going up or down stairs and provide a hand hold to quickly regain balance after a slip or stumble. Absence of handrails account for a large number of falls on stairs that result in injuries.

Senior Balance Exercises  For Safety On Stairs

    senior balance exercises can also help minimize the possibility of falling on stairs. One example of an equilibrium routine that can help with stairs involves standing on one foot and swinging the other foot forwards and up, as if you are taking a step. With this stability exercise, you can develop adequate static stability while standing on one foot and dynamic steadiness by controlling your balance as you move the other foot. You can progress your equilibrium routine to standing on one step and moving the other foot up to the next step or down to the lower step. you can perform this steadiness routine and other senior balance exercises by following the direction of a qualified Physical Therapist in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To be safe on stairs, initiate a program of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare professional recommended Exercise For Balance DVD is an excellent educational DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to understand and to follow Exercise For Balance DVD includes  a step by step series of up to date balance and strength exercises necessary to optimize senior fitness and to perform basic daily activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to more difficult activities like skiing, dancing, bocce ball and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, steadiness techniques and balance routines from a  qualified balance specialist --- licensed Physical Therapist---who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 25 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

To be safe on stairs, 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/