The Surprising Death Knell for Many Seniors: Falling
Preventive measures can lower the risk of this №1 cause of accidental injury and death among older people
The mother of a friend of ours, I will call her Barbara, was an active octogenarian, a widow, full of life and enthusiasm with generally good health. But she had unrecognized osteoporosis and some balance problems, the latter she largely ignored, and her muscle mass and strength had declined substantially since her retirement as a nurse. One day, Barbara was at the farmer’s market and tripped off the curb, a curb she had negotiated many times over the years. She fell. Her hip was broken. Surgery repaired it, but one thing led to another — more on that below — and she was dead within two months.
It’s a sad but all-too-familiar true story. But it does not have to be that way.
Beginning at about age 40 and often well before, our bodies begin a process of organ and functional decline of about 1% per year. Bone mineral density decline can eventually lead to osteoporosis and a higher risk of fractures; balance decline makes falls more likely; muscle decline leads to loss of strength while increasing the fracture risk further. Declining reaction time exacerbates the risk more than most people recognize.
