Hello,
Interested in what works for our senior population for exercise they can do without failing?
DID YOU KNOW?
Each year, hospitals see thousands of older patients for broken hips due to falling. Balance exercises can help you avoid injuries from falls and keep your seniors independent and mobile. Healthy-Steps new Study published in the Administrative Nursing Journal showed that our program helped prevent seniors falling improves balance and gait!
The National Institute on Aging believes that, "when older people lose their ability to do things on their own, it doesn't happen just because they have aged. More likely it is because they have become inactive."
Each week, more than 30,000 Americans over the age of 65 are seriously injured by falling, and nearly 250 die from their injuries, according to the NSC. (National Council of Safety) Of those who do survive falling, 20-30 percent experience debilitating injuries that affect them the rest of their lives. Falling is also the leading cause of injury, and the leading cause of injury-related death, for both men and women 75 and older.
Patricia A. Miller is an occupational therapist and occupational therapy professor at Columbia University. She has found that when the elderly fear falling down, they often restrict their own mobility. The less physical activity they get, the worse their condition gets.
Beyond the risk of falling, a lack of physical activity can also lead to instances of long-term depression. The medicines used to treat the symptoms of depression can further complicate issues, making falls more likely.
Gait disturbances are the underlying conditions that make walking difficult. They can be caused by a number of things including anxiety, visual impairments and defects, neurodegeneration of the brain’s motor cortex, taking medicines that cause dizziness, and consuming alcoholic beverages. Researchers have estimated that anxiety is a cause for as much as 85% of gait disturbances.
Alzheimer’s and exercise
There is no proven way to prevent Alzheimer's disease, but a new Seattle-area study provides some of the strongest evidence yet that regular exercise can protect the brain -- and even improve cognitive performance -- in older adults showing signs of mental decline.
Now knowing what you do is exercise important to our aging senior population? You bet it is. Healthy-Steps has a study out this year, showing our program helps prevent seniors from falling improves balance and gait! It was voted number 1 study of the year by South West Airlines Magazine/ Spirit. If you would like to see this study, go to our website www.gohealthysteps.com and then go to the drop down program. When you see the drop down 'news and media' click that and a search box will open. In the box put the word 'study' and all our studies will come up along with the Senior study. OR just email me for a copy at sld@lebedmethod.com
In my next blog I will tell you why our program is so very special.
