They have shown their effectiveness in reducing this risk, which affects one in four older people.
According to a study by the Spanish Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology, falls in the elderly are a public health problem that originate a 25% of falls per year in people over 65 years of age and 10% is the cause of head and internal organ injuries5% generate fractures of the humerus, wrist or pelvis and around 2% produce hip fracture. The overall mortality rate within 12 months of hip fracture ranges from 18 to 33%.
For this reason, the Neurology Department of Hospital Ruber Internacional is anticipating this and has launched a fall prevention program for people over 65 years of age. “A problem that affects one in four older people», affirms Dr. Oriol Franch, head of the Neurology Service of the hospital.
As indicated by the neurologist, this situation increases in relation to age, in such a way that, from the age of 85, 1/3 of people fall once a year. “Either due to the greater risk that aging itself entails, or to causes unrelated to aging, such as a loss of consciousness, cerebral ischemia, Parkinson’s disease and other diseases of the nervous system. The evaluation of a patient injured by a fall often does not include investigation of the possible cause of the fall. It should not be assumed that falls are an inevitable part of normal aging,” says Dr. Franch.
That is why the importance of identify the personal risk factors and the usual environment of that person who has fallen to try to prevent them from falling again. “The fall prevention programs we offer have proven effective in reducing this risk. They work on different aspects to try to reduce the risk of falls through exercises to improve stability and gait, as well as inform about trouble spots to be aware of at home, such as low tables, carpets, insufficient lighting or the bathroom, among others. the figure of therapistoccupational You can inspect the home to help find the possible factors that may affect the risk of falling, and it is important and useful to modify them to reduce it,” says Dr. Oriol Franch.
Do not assume that falls are an inevitable part of normal aging
Oriol Franch
Head of the Neurology Service of the Ruber Internacional Hospital
Repeated falls increase hospitalizations and deathsespecially in the elderly already weakened by diseases such as osteoporosis “or they can cause complications that will reduce physical abilities or fear of carrying out their daily activities,” says Dr. Franch.
The specialist highlights that with age there is less stability and changes in the way of walking, raising the feet less from the ground, with which the chances of stumbling increase. «The rehabilitation of walking involves increasing that stability and that the foot is raised appropriately with each step.», he says.
The duration of the program that Hospital Ruber Internacional makes available to these people is 6 weeksin which they are carried out 2 sessions of 45 minutes per week. Besides, eThe program includes an initial neurological evaluation and an optional home visit to assess possible domestic causes that may increase the risk of falls.
“Each session has a theoretical part with information on those factors that increase the risk of falls, and a practical part with physiotherapy for balance, gait and muscle strengthening exercises”, describes Oriol Franch.
The sessions are group (4-6 people), are directed by the team of physiotherapists from the Neurorehabilitation Unit of the Neurology Service, and are carried out in the functional rehabilitation room of the hospital.