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Showing posts with the label Preventing Falls

Helping the Elderly Avoid Falls

On average, most hospitals see 3-5 patients over the age of 65 on a daily basis due to falls.  Many of these falls result in broken bones and surgical procedures to correct them. It is a very common occurrence in emergency rooms across the country.  -           The older we get, the less muscle we have.  The person may have at one time been a great athlete, and they may still be in good shape, but the bottom line is that they are not as young as they used to be.  It may be difficult for some people to accept that, so they continue on as they did in previous years.  That is, until they have an injury.  Broken hips account for about one half of all surgeries performed by orthopedic surgeons.  Sadly, many times an elderly person breaks a hip they are not quick to bounce back and some never recover from the injury.  After a break to the hip, it is painful to begin movement.  The surgical site hurts, the break itself is sore, and no one wants to try and stand when pain is involved.  For