17% of our elderly population are prone to falls leading to fractures. There are many factors that increases the risk of falling and osteoporosis is one of those high on the list, together with weak muscles and poor balance. Once an elderly fall and sustains a fracture, recovery is not as simple as going for a surgery to reduce the fracture. There are a lot of factors that would affect recovery. Even after surgery, there would be a lot of lifestyle adjustment, together with living environment changes that would need to happen.
Falls are generally due to accidents, which in most cases, are hard to prevent. However, there are some proactive steps that we can take to prevent fractures. We should encourage our elderlies to improve their bone health by having a balance diet and exercising to maintain their bone density. They can also lower their risk of falling by strengthening their muscles and improving their balance.
Tips for Elderly to prevent falls
1. Weight Bearing Exercises
Taking calcium supplements alone will not help prevent osteoporosis. To prevent Osteoporosis, besides taking calcium supplements, we highly encourage you to engage in weight bearing exercises, at least 3 times a week, for about 30 to 45mins each time. It is also highly advisable to do the exercises in the presence of sunlight as the UV rays from the sun helps to activate the Vitamin D store in the skin to aid in the absorption of Calcium to slow down the process of osteoporosis. Examples of weight bearing exercises are like brisk walking, Tai Chi / Qi Gong and even social exercises like Zumba and Line Dancing.
2. Stretch Regularly
It is very common for the elderly to complain of tightness in their hamstring, quadriceps and calf muscles. The tightness might be due to overuse through the years without stretching or could also be weakness in these muscles. These simple stretches can be done to help alleviate the tightness in the muscles. Perform these stretches after walking or after any exercise routine. Hold each stretch for 15 secs and repeat it 4 times per leg.
3. Strengthen your Muscles and Improve your Balance
Some common excuses that the elderly would give when we ask them to do some strengthening exercises are they will say it’s very troublesome or they do not want to go out of the house, etc.
Strength Training
We propose these simple strengthening exercises that they can try, in the comfort of their own home. Performing a simple sit-to-stand exercise or stepping up onto a step are simple exercises that elderly can try to do to improve the strength of their legs.
Balance Training
These 2 exercises are very simple exercises that everyone can and should do to improve their balance. Lack of balance is one of the main causes of falls thus trying these 2 exercises can help improve one’s balance and may prevent falls. Start off with the Tandem Standing and once that becomes easy, one can progress towards Single Leg Stand. You may prefer to use a chair for support initially until you get better with your balance.
These are just general tips. For more specific exercises and a more detailed assessment, please consult your healthcare professional or call us at 6735 9459 or whatsapp us at 9657 4711 for an appointment.