Seniors and mobility

Seniors who are living by themselves must be careful when they move through their living environment: home or apartment. If a senior person resides in an assisted living facility it’s important that they follow all safety rules. Many of the rules are distributed in print or posted in rooms, and apply to seniors who have difficulty walking and/or move around by wheelchair. Not being able to move around with ease and safety can create other problems, such as falls.

According to the American Geriatric Society’s Complete Guide to Aging and Health by Mark E. Williams, M.D., each year, one-third of older people in the community who are 75 and older fall. Of these one-half fall repeatedly. In nursing homes, the fall rate is estimated at one to two falls per person per year. The chance of falling increase with age.

In this country, accidents the sixth leading cause of death in people over 65. The majority of these accidents are from falls. Broken bones and soft tissue injuries such as bruises and scrapes account for the most of the nonfatal injuries related to falls. About 5 percent of falls in older people result in fractures; 1 percent result in a hip fracture. In addition, 1 percent of falls cause restrictions in activity or result in a serious injury, such as a major bruise, joint dislocation, or sprain, requiring medical care.

Another problem caused by falls is the fear of falling again. This leads to self-imposed restriction of activity. Between 10 and 25 percent of people who have fallen admit to avoiding activities such as shopping or housekeeping because of their fears of falls or injury. Family members and other caregivers may also discourage activity.

Causes of Walking Problems and Falls
Being stable requires the highly coordinated input and response of the several body systems: nervous, muscles and bones (muscuskeletal), cardiovascular, respiratory, and others. Falls and immobility result either from a single disease that impairs a major component of stability or, more commonly, from the accumulated effect of multiple diseases superimposed on each other and on age-related changes.

SOURCE:
The American Geriatrics Society’s Complete Guide To Aging & Health by Mark E. Williams, M.D. – First Edition 1995 Dr. Williams is Director of the Program on Aging in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Outside the university, Dr. Williams is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Geriatric Society and it’s the medical director of the Geriatric Evaluation Clinic at UNC Hospitals. He is also a consultant to numerous scientific journals, private foundations, and the federal government, and lectures widely on aging and health-related topics.