Health

Stopping Bad 'Trips': Fall Prevention is a Science

How many times have you heard about an older person who experiences good health for many years, until he or she falls—after which ailments seem to multiply, and the person's condition rapidly goes downhill?

Such a "downward spiral" is very real and very common, according to geriatrician Dr. Andrew S. Duxbury of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but it's not inevitable.

"Older people who have suffered a fall often become afraid of falling again, and so they restrict their activity and mobility. This causes further physical decline, which ironically makes them more likely to fall again."

The key to prevention, says Duxbury, is that most falls don’t just happen out of the blue but are the result of a "gait disorder"—problems that interfere with balance, synchronized motion, or other functions necessary for sitting, rising, and walking safely. Treating such disorders in time can head off falls before they happen. The reason gait disorders often go untreated, according to Duxbury, is that doctors often don’t observe their patients walking.

Medications, physical therapy, or a combination of the two can significantly improve the mobility of people who have problems walking, and help prevent accidents—especially when combined with fall-prevention tactics such as installing handrails at home and removing obstacles such as throw rugs, extension cords, and uneven walking surfaces.