A deadly killer is lurking in your home. It’s not the usual suspect like a gas leak, a poorly installed furnace, or a faulty wiring job. It’s the stairs. You walk on them every day, but according to the National Safety Council, almost 12,000 people in the United States die from falls on stairs annually.
When it comes to falls, stairs are hardly the only risk factors. Rugs, uneven surfaces, ill-fitting footwear, clutter, poor lighting, and alcohol can all cause people to lose their balance. An unexpected fall from standing height often results in fractures, lacerations, and severe head injuries.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in seniors. Indeed, almost all of us know one person who has suffered a severe or life-altering injury in a fall.
Preventing Falls. Thankfully, there are some preventive measures to make sure you and your loved ones stay safely on your feet. These include precautions in the home but also proactive steps you can take to improve your physical coordination. These can help you adjust quickly if you lose your balance.
To begin with, here are some quick tips to make sure your home is a trip-free zone:
• Make sure your staircases are free from clutter and loose carpeting.
• Have safety railings in place and make sure that light switches are
located at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Ensure all rooms (especially bathrooms) and hallways have good
lighting.
• Minimize clutter throughout the house which helps with sanity too.
• Mitigate the dangers of wet floors by installing bath mats and hand
railings in bathrooms.
• Avoid multitasking while walking.
• Wear the correct footwear. Socks on hardwood floors can be
especially dangerous.
Bettering Your Balance. The idea of balance as some sort of static quality is somewhat misguided. Indeed, you could say balance is something of an idealized fallacy. What people are really doing is adjusting to competing forces on the fly.
To do this, you have to learn to challenge your balance which means engaging in repetitive exercises to sharpen your reflexes, increase muscle strength, and boost overall physical coordination.
Here are some highly recommended activities:
Heel-to-toe walking. This exercise helps strengthen your calf muscles, which will reduce your risk of getting stress fractures and shin splints. Done regularly, you will improve your sense of position too. Place the heel of one foot just in front of the toes of the other foot. Your heel and toes should touch or nearly touch. Pick a spot in front of you and begin to head towards it, step by step, always placing your heel just in front of the toe of your other foot. Keep this up for 20 steps, practicing three times a week.
Standing on one foot. Doing this simple activity will greatly improve your balance. Hold on to a sturdy chair, lifting one leg for 10- 20 seconds. Repeat with the other leg 10 or 15 times per setting.
High knee walking. This looks a bit like running in place but it’s lifting your legs much higher than normal. Runners and other athletes use this technique to improve power and flexibility.
Back leg raises. Begin on all fours with hands under your shoulders and knees beneath your hips. Extend one leg behind as you slowly lift it to shoulder level. Lower your leg slowly. Repeat with your other leg.
Tai-Chi. Modern scientific studies have demonstrated that practicing this ancient exercise can help seniors cut the risk of falls by 45 percent.
Dancing. Research demonstrates that dancing greatly improves neuromuscular coordination. Remember to “Dance like nobody’s watching.” If you do, they surely will.