Age alone does not indicate fall risk

1 in 3 adults over the age of 65 who live in the community will fall each year. When I do fall prevention presentations, I always ask who has fallen or who is concerned about falling. Between those two questions, nearly every hand goes up. Are fall prevention statistics under estimated? Perhaps. Regardless of the statistics, the number of falls is expected to increase drastically as baby boomers advance in age.

In a recent class, there were two ladies (aged 86 and 87) who were similar in many accounts. Both live independently in the community, neither one uses an assistive device for mobility and both have fallen within the past year. This is the exact person FallProof™ was designed to help. Pre-test scores indicated that the 87 year old had significantly less lower body flexibility however she scored better in dynamic balance and agility.

What I find interesting is the post-class results. The same 87 year old increased lower body flexibility by 2.8 inches and improved dynamic balance nearly 2 seconds. The 86 year old increased lower body flexibility by 2 inches but lost one tenth of a second on dynamic balance. Both ranked in the 85th percentile of lower body strength.

	Pre S&R	Post S&R	Pre CS	Post CS	Pre 8UG	Post 8UG
86 yo	5	7	0	14	7.6	7.7
87 yo	-4.8	-1	0	14	7.1	5.4

Two average older ladies. Two very similar women who resemble your neighbor, your mother, your grandmother. Who is at greater fall risk? It would be fascinating to follow these two ladies for a year and test again. As of today, they are the same in lower body strength however the younger one demonstrates greater lower body flexibility and the older one is appreciably more agile. I think I just found a project for myself......

I am blessed to have the opportunity to educate older adults about fall risk factors, demonstrate evidence-based fall prevention exercises and facilitate ongoing compliance to an exercise routine. I love what I do and I encourage everyone to Take 5 to Exercise each day. Take 5 is my seated fall prevention DVD series and it is a perfect place for beginners to start from the comfort of home. Let's see which of these 2 ladies decides to Take 5 to Exercise each day....