Vision Loss And Senior Balance Exercises

Need For Senior Balance Exercises

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

  Many older adults undergo significant vision loss in later years of their lives which can result in falling, and necessitates that aging individuals should practice senior balance exercises     http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now As we age, many older individuals experience a decline in their vision, which can lead to significant impact on health and mobility. Vision plays a critical role in maintaining body balance. Our vision helps to inform our brain what kind of surface, like carpet, thick grass, uneven sidewalks, we are walking on . Vision also helps to tell the brain about any obstacles in the path like chairs, throw rugs, or steps. Balance ability declines with the degree of vision loss. The main reason for this is that elders tend to rely more on the visual information for stable balance, and this effect increases with age. When vision declines, balance becomes more difficult to maintain. This is demonstrated when a person stands with eyes closed or walks into a dark room; in both instances balance becomes unsteady. Furthermore, with poor vision, older folks are often unable to judge how high to lift their foot when going up stairs or a curb, which can lead to a trip and fall. Elders with poor or low vision are also at great risk of falling and suffering injury. Not being able to see properly is associated with a two-fold risk of hip fracture. To combat this potential for falling, healthcare professionals like doctors and nurses and physical therapists suggest that those in the aging population should perform senior balance exercises on a daily basis.

Senior Balance Exercises For Low Vision

    Older adults who suffer with visual problems tend to experience difficulties with stability, which requires them to  perform senior balance exercises to help improve steadiness and minimize the possibility of a fall. Since vision is just one of the senses that the balance system in the brain uses for stability, older adults with low vision need to enhance their other sensory systems. As an example, the balance system in the brain relies on the sense of touch from the feet to help with equilibrium. Aging individuals can maximize their sense of touch by standing with their feet shoulder width a part and centering their body weight in the middle of their arches. In this position, they can focus on the sense of touch  between their feet and the floor. This focus on the sensory input will help connect the balance center in the brain with the sense of touch in the feet. this strong connection will help to improve overall steadiness with all movement activities. Now, older individuals can practice this equilibrium routine and other senior balance exercises in the comfort of their own home by joining in with the exercises and stability tips presented in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

Learn balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD

    For those older adults who have poor vision,  get started on a course of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare provider recommended Exercise For Balance DVD is a high quality instructional DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to understand and simple to follow Exercise For Balance DVD includes  a step by step series of the latest balance and strength exercises necessary to optimize senior fitness and to carry out basic daily activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to more difficult pursuits like skiing, dancing, playing golf and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, how to apply steadiness techniques and how to safely execute 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

Don't wait. 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/