Falls…Falls…Falls…Falls…Falls!
Like the owner of a brand new car…you see it the showroom and it is unique in every way…only to drive 5 miles and notice how many others are on the road.
Why didn’t you notice them before? People are very good at rationalization. We generate reasons that allow us to believe that something is true…and then we apply that deceptive logic to a rationalized outcome. So that…I haven’t seen this car in this color before…so there must not be too many out there AND since there
aren’t too many out there, my purchase is a good one.
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People who fall are no different. A dozen years of studies, including the one
from the spring of 2010…from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention…that
concludes:
75% of all people aged 70 and above have balance deficits that create falls. National Centersfor Health/CDC Data Brief No.31 April 2010
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That being said, in many different ways…by many different medical and social entities…people find a way to rationalize how their balance and/or fall scare was a one-time occurrence that really shouldn’t even be counted as a near fall or fall injury. Our clinic staff can remember many folks who called for an appointment,
only to have a family member call to cancel because Mom or Dad was placed in
the hospital (or worse) because of a fall.
We’ve had many older adults, who were coerced by a loved one to see us…with a history of fractures, black eyes and bruises…tell us that “black ice”, “the cat”, “a rug”…or a full moon caused their fall injury…and they didn’t have a falls problem. Then, after our tests document a medical problem …they admit their relief that the falls are treatable.
If you are a son, daughter, grandson or grand-daughter, with parents or grandparents who have reached their 70th birthday… ask yourself these questions?
- How did they look and act over the holidays?
- Do they appear to be more careful or hesitant when they move around?
- Have they admitted missteps, trips, or falls?
- Have they had a recent illness or hospitalization?
- Are they taking more than 4 medications?
If YOU are aged 70 or older…ask yourself the same questions as above and then ask yourself:
- Have I been injured (bruises count!) from a fall or near fall in the past 12 months?
- Am I anxious about maybe falling again?
If you answer YES to anything above…it’s time for a discussion with the doctor… and it’s also time for a Medicare recommended, Falls Risk Assessment.
Mike
