Fall prevention: it’s one of the top concerns of healthy aging, considering that falling is one of the main sources for significant injury and even mortality in older adults. At Morning Glory Home Care, providers of professional home care services for seniors, we work hard to ensure the home environment is examined for fall possibilities and that changes are made to help the older individuals in our care continue to be safe from senior falls.
However, there are some additional actions all seniors need to take to prevent senior falls – for example, stepping up their physical exercise regimen to integrate some significant strengthening and balance exercises that have been shown in recent research by the British Journal of Sports Medicine to lessen falls by up to 21 – 39%, depending on how much time is invested. As few as three hours every week invested in the following can make a big difference in the health and wellbeing of your senior loved ones:
- Chair Lift: While seated in a sturdy chair with arms, grip the arms and push the body up, using the lower body muscles as little as possible and using upper arm strength. Hold the position, and then slowly and gradually lower back to a sitting position. Repeat 10 times.
- Forward Lunge: Stand up straight with feet in line with the hips. Hold onto a durable chair placed to one side of the body, and then step forward with one foot, always keeping the rest of the body straight and tall. Bend the leg in front until the knee in the back is as close to the ground as possible. Then utilize the front leg to lift the body back up to a standing position. Repeat ten times with each leg.
- Leg Raise: From a sitting position, extend one leg straight out in front of you, and then bend the knee and draw it to your chest, while not moving the upper body. Stretch the leg back out straight once again, and then bring the foot back to the ground. Repeat 10 times with both legs, and if possible, try with both legs simultaneously.
- Weight Lift and Bend: With a sturdy chair beside you for balance, and a two-pound weight in the opposite hand, bend forward at the waist, bend the arm holding the weight up to your chest (with the elbow remaining at waist level) and then extend the arm behind you before bringing the weight back to your waist. Repeat ten times with each arm, increasing weight if desired.
- Toe Touch: Standing with feet together, slowly and gently roll your upper body towards your toes, reaching down with the fingers as far as possible. Keep legs straight throughout the bend. Then slowly and carefully roll the upper body back up to a standing position, and repeat 10 times.
For further fall prevention recommendations and exercises, or to schedule an in-home evaluation of your senior loved one’s home to help prevent senior falls, contact Morning Glory Home Care, providers of elder care in Edwardsville, IL and the surrounding areas. Call us any time at 618-667-8400.