Falling down is one of the leading causes of injury among senior adults aged 65 years and over. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 4 older adults has experienced a fall within the year.
Of so many old people falling, almost half require medical treatment. This is because older adults are at high risk of breaking a hip, wrist, or their spine since bones become weaker and more brittle over time.
Why do old people fall so much
The natural process of aging sends our bodies into decline, and we may not be as strong or as stable on our feet as we used to be. Chronic illnesses also play a big part in causing falls.
A few of the more common reasons for old people falling are:
1. Weakened muscles: The average human body is made up of around 37.2 trillion cells. Some cells are replaced with new cells daily, others are renewed after a longer period of time. Some cells are never renewed.
Skeletal muscles are the long muscles that connect to bones and help us move. These include biceps in the arms and hamstrings in the legs.
According to one research study, cells in skeletal muscles can take up to 70 years before they’re replaced with brand new cells. Other studies posit that skeletal muscle cells never renew, and injured cells are simply repaired rather than replaced with freshly manufactured cells.
Either way, by the age of 65, your skeletal muscles have likely been through a lot. Weakened, and possibly atrophied, aging muscles struggle to support the body, maintain balance, and keep legs steady while walking.
2. Slower reflexes: Reflexes are automatic, fast, and involuntary reactions the body performs to protect itself. For example, when someone accidentally touches a hot surface, they instantly pull their hand back.
Whether the person is 70 years old or 7 months old, this reflex action is the same. This shows that reflexes are instinctive rather than learned behavior.
Research has determined that reflexes occur when signals from a stimulus (in this example, contact with a hot surface) travel along the network of nerves to the brain, which then sends out instructions on how to respond.
With age, our network of nerves, or the nervous system, undergoes a lot of wear-and-tear. Many kinds of nerves cells are not replaced when they die or are damaged. With fewer nerve cells, or neurons, in the communications line, it takes longer to transmit messages back and forth.
This means that if you trip, by the time your brain is notified, has processed the information, and sent out instructions on what to do, you may already be sprawled on the floor.
Direct aging is just one reason behind slowed reflexes. Other factors include:
• Insomnia. Not getting enough restful sleep at night leaves you tired and sleepy in the daytime when you should be awake and alert. A tired brain cannot process and respond to sudden information effectively.
• Medications. Certain ingredients in prescription medications may interfere with the workings of the nervous system. Others may cause drowsiness, brain fog, and disrupt attention and focus.
• Not drinking enough water. Dehydration leads to an imbalance in the salts and electrolytes in your body. Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium are crucial for neuron health.
• Cognitive decline. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and various forms of dementia bring down the number of functioning neurons. This slows down brain activity and reflex speed.
3. Chronic diseases: Almost half of all patients with type 2 diabetes will develop peripheral neuropathy. One form of this disease is a loss of feeling in legs and feet, which makes it difficult to control balance and stability.
Diabetes also leads to a frequent need to pee, especially at night. Rushing to the bathroom while half asleep, tottering on numb legs, unable to feel the floor through your feet, all combine to create a tripping hazard for patients with chronic diabetes.
Arthritis stiffens and weakens joints, making it harder to move safely, and fluctuating blood pressure, especially hypotension, can cause disorientation, fatigue, dizziness, and blurred vision.
How to fall without injury, or reduce the risk of injury
Falling down can be embarrassing, but more worrying is the potential to get injured. Falls are unpredictable so you can’t really prepare for one, but if you can remember to go with the flow, you may reduce your chances of getting hurt.
Go with the flow: In martial arts such as karate, judo, and taekwondo, practitioners learn to go along with their opponent’s attack. Instead of two opposing forces smashing into each other, one gives way so that both forces move in the same direction.
Keep this in mind when you start to tumble. Generally, when we fall our first instinct is to stiffen up to regain balance. Half the time, this doesn’t help much; we continue falling and because of the body’s rigidity, may end up bruising a muscle or snapping a bone.
But when you go with the flow and make no attempt to resist — researchers at Harvard University call it falling like “a sack of beans” — your muscles are more relaxed, softer, and better able to cushion your bones.
Stay calm as you fall, let your knees, elbows, and wrists go limp, and turn your face away from the ground.
After the fall
Give yourself as long as you need to catch your breath and process the shock. Check for any pain that may indicate an injury. If you can, get up slowly. You may need help to stand, either from another person or from a piece of sturdy furniture.
Even if you do not need emergency care after a fall, let your doctor know ASAP. Also, while the details are still fresh, write down:
- Where you were when you fell (in your bedroom, at the mall, out on the lawn)
- What you were doing (walking, just got up from a chair, gardening in the sunlight, etc.)
- What time it was
- If you felt ‘off’ in any way (dizzy, blurry vision, thirsty, tired)
- If you have been dealing with a stressful situation
Your doctor may want to check for injuries you can’t see, for example a bruise on your back. They may also want to investigate any new or worsening health conditions to make sure your health remains on track.
Consequences of falls in the elderly
Other than physical injuries like bruises, sprains, bone fractures, damage to internal organs, and head trauma, experiencing a fall can make people afraid of moving around, both indoors and outdoors. This can severely limit independence and also lead to social isolation.
But with some care and awareness of how to prevent falls in the elderly, you may be able to stay safer and protect yourself from injuries.