Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Thursday, April 14, 2016

We All Fall Down

"Ronni Bennett at the Time Goes By blog reports that one-third of people 65 and older fall every year. Many do not survive their broken bones.

Now comes a study telling us we elders are far from alone:

"'...in this four-month study, more than half of the college students fell during daily activities,' said Shirley Rietdyk, a profess of health and kinesiology, who only looked at young adults in this study.

The fall rate may be lower for older adults because they are more cautious due to the higher risk of serious, even fatal, injuries from falls.  These findings also highlight that walking on two legs is a challenging task that is mechanically unstable, even for young, healthy adults.'"

Maybe we would be better off now if mankind had stayed on all fours. You can read more here."

8 comments:

  1. This is so very scary! We are pretty sure my aunt died of a fall too since she hit her head enough to cause a hemorrhage. My mother's recent fall really scared the heck out of me.

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  2. I have fallen a few times outside, tripping over the hose or a tree root. I really need to be more careful. Falls are scary! You have written some interesting posts...I have been catching up.

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  3. I have a friend who, last year, fell and broke her hip, this winter she fell and broke three fingers. I worry about her. I find myself near something that I can grab hold of at all times. I'm not all that steady. I have fallen a couple of times, luckily I haven't broken anything. Guess it was because I went down slow. :-)

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  4. I live in an old neighborhood with streets and sidewalks that are uneven in many places. I have fallen a couple of times while walking the dog. Becoming aware is the first step to preventive measures. I must be vigilant in watching the area ahead of me, not just watching my feet as I walk. Second I have retired all but the most flat and sturdy of my shoes. Since I am a resident of the South, I love my sandals and own many pairs (shame on me I know), but I only wear them for an outing, such as shopping, when I know the store will be flat. No sandals for daily chores, running up and down stairs or walking the dog. I now have several pairs of nice looking loafer like shoes that are flat and snug on my foot. No falls since then - knock on wood.

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  5. I suspect the frequency of falls in college age people and to do with a much more vigorous lifestyle, and substance abuse.
    I am aware of my decreasing stability and try to be cautions. I have a fear of slipping on slick surfaces since my black eyed, forehead knotted fall of two years ago. I got lucky on that one. No real damage, just looked like hell.

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  6. Falling is a scary feeling! I don't fall often because I'm pretty careful! I watch Louis Dean because he gets unsteady but claims he knows HOW to fall!

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  7. I take a piyo class (combination pilates yoga) that helps me so much with both strength and balance. Trying to focus on prevention to keep my health as good as it can be.

    Interesting about the young folks. Maybe they bounce back easier than we older folks, with less injuries.

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  8. I have taken a few falls either due to tripping (pick your feet up Patti) or once a patch of black ice took me down. Luckily, I survived all of them, the worst being a torn rotator cuff. Boy does the ground come up to meet your face fast.

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