Falls are a serious concern for seniors. Every 11 seconds an elderly person is treated in an emergency room for a fall, and some never fully recover. Depending on how a senior lands when they fall, they could experience anything from a broken hip to a traumatic brain injury.
In fact, falls are the number one cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in seniors, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The good news is, through practical lifestyle adjustments and physical exercise, a seniors’ risk for falling can be greatly reduced.
“A fall can lead to a senior’s decline in mobility and independence. Because falls can take such a toll on quality of life, our goal is prevention,” says Helen Dallaris, director of United Hebrew’s top-ranked short-term rehabilitation center. “We work with our residents and our patients recovering from surgery on strengthening legs and core muscles to lower the chance of falling. It helps them feel more confident, too.”
Short-term rehab patients at United Hebrew benefit from the expertise of Burke Rehabilitation Hospital-trained physical therapists, who provide a rigorous program tailored to individual needs. Check out the two videos below with tips offered by two of the team’s physical therapists, Sylvana Giamarino and Shaban Idrizi. First, they offer tips on how to check in with your loved ones about their risk for falling, and second, they demonstrate some simple exercises that are designed to help prevent falls.
Tips on Preventing Falls in the Elderly
