“A fall would turn my world upside down,” JoJo said while sitting in the living room of her home for the past 22 years. JoJo lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, across the street from the house she grew up in; her brother, a few years older, rents the upstairs. Both now over the age of 65, JoJo was asked if you were injured in a fall, could your brother help support you?
“He couldn’t take care of me,” JoJo reflected when thinking about her brother. JoJo talked about her brother’s mobility issues, his body weakness, his attitude toward health, and his poor eyesight. JoJo worried about him because, if he fell, she doubted her own ability to take care of him.
“I think he would end up in a rehabilitation home; in a nursing home. There’s no question,” JoJo concluded.
At 70-years-old, JoJo still works and, living independently, she is responsible for maintaining her home. She does not have the capacity to become someone’s fulltime caregiver right now. JoJo is living her life the way she wants, and she knows that continuing her life this way means staying strong enough to support it. She knows how detrimental a fall could be and how it could compromise the life she has built.
Falling is A Sad Reality for Many Seniors
In the United States, JoJo’s story represents a happy one. She is an older adult who is not struggling with falls, she lives independently and has the capacity to do so, and she does not feel limited or restricted by the abilities of her body. This is not true for many of her American peers, because 30% of people 65 or older fall every year. JoJo’s life continues in the manner she chooses, where the lives of other older adults have been severely compromised and, at times, have ended because of falling. Falling amongst our nation’s seniors is not simply inconvenient; it can be lethal.
The medical system can and should help in preventing avoidable harms that impact our bodies and health as we age, and falling is one of the more common harms impacting older adults. Falling is the leading cause of injury and leading cause of injury-related death among older adults; it is also a problem that is growing. And when a growing problem meets an already overburdened medical system, the problem can get missed by medical providers. Addressing a problem only works when we bring it up, and most seniors who fall do not bring it up with their medical providers.
We need a better way to manage and address fall prevention for our nation’s seniors, because the current system is failing them; failing us. One of the first steps in addressing a problem is assessing a problem, and falls are not being properly assessed for a large portion of older adults, which means the opportunity to address them is not being explored.
Test Your Own Risk of Falling
Dr. Alex completed a project at Harvard Medical School that gives seniors and their families a way to test their own leg strength from home, without needing to go to a clinic. The test is easy to do, and he’ll lead you through the whole process. You’ll get to know JoJo a little better, and all you need to complete the test is a chair.
Go ahead and test your leg strength and risk of falling, now!
Back to JoJo
JoJo made contact later in the week after our visit to her Somerville home and had an update on her brother. “Right after you left, he fell.”
Luckily, JoJo’s brother was uninjured, but having fallen previously is the biggest predictor of future falls. (Porto et al., 2020) JoJo may soon be faced with a painful reality that many Americans confront as they or a loved one is injured in a fall; what do we do now? Then a nagging thought; could it have been prevented?
What if I’m Struggling with Balance?
Balance can change, and it can improve, but it never happens accidentally. If you are struggling or know someone struggling with losing balance or falling, let’s get going on some exercise that’s safe and going to improve your situation. Even better, let’s do it before a fall or an injury happens.
I, Dr. Alex, am here to support you every step of the way, no matter where you are. Book your free 15-minute consult to talk with me about your concerns and learn more about how we work! Our online physical therapy and personal training can help you regain what you thought you’d lost and go strongly into your future.
At motivPT, we believe your body deserves to feel great.
