{"id":21816,"date":"2025-08-19T10:44:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T16:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=21816"},"modified":"2025-09-03T15:52:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T21:52:49","slug":"falling-down-is-a-major-health-issue-for-people-as-they-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/falling-down-is-a-major-health-issue-for-people-as-they-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Falling is a major health issue for people as they age"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_85020\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-85020\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-85020\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/20095933\/GettyImages-1415812884-fall-prevention-web.webp\" alt=\"As we age, vision, hearing and balance, along with some medications, can increase the risk of falls. But there are steps you can take to prevent them. Photo: Getty Images.\" width=\"640\" height=\"383\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-85020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">As we age, vision, hearing and balance, along with some medications, can increase the risk of falls. But there are steps you can take to prevent them. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Falling is scary. It\u2019s even scarier when you\u2019re in your 70s or 80s, and unfortunately, the risk of falling goes up as people age.<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-12 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<h4><strong>Stand Tall: Fall Prevention Awareness Event<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Falls are the leading cause of trauma-related hospital admissions for adults 65 and older \u2014 but they don\u2019t have to be.<\/p>\n<p>The Annual Fall Prevention Awareness Event from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fcgov.com\/recreation\/northside\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Northside Aztlan Community Center<\/a> in Fort Collins, offers practical tools to help older adults stay steady, strong and independent.<\/p>\n<p>Attendees can enjoy a free breakfast, receive a balance screening or medication review (by appointment) and hear expert presentations from CSU\u2019s expert<a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chhs.colostate.edu\/bio-page\/arlene-schmid-2340\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Arlene Schmid<\/a>, PhD, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/bucky-ferozan-do-emergency-medicine\/\">Dr. Bucky Ferozan<\/a>, an emergency physician at UCHealth. Local organizations will also host booths focused on health and safety.<\/p>\n<p>Registration is required. Call <a href=\"tel:9704958560\">970.495.8560<\/a> to reserve a spot.<\/div>\n<p>So, it&#8217;s wise to stay as healthy as possible and do all you can to prevent falls, said<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/laura-l-longwell-do-internal-medicine\/\"> Dr. Laura Longwell<\/a>, an internal medicine specialist at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-primary-care-rockrimmon\/\">UCHealth Primary Care Clinic \u2013 Rockrimmon<\/a> in Colorado Springs.<\/p>\n<p>Many of Longwell&#8217;s patients are ages 55 and older. As a doctor who specializes in caring for older patients, Longwell is acutely aware of the statistics from the<a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncoa.org\/older-adults\/health\/prevention\/falls-prevention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> National Council on Aging<\/a> (NCOA):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older people<\/li>\n<li>Falls threaten seniors\u2019 safety and independence and generate enormous economic and personal costs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>So why does the risk of falling go up as people age?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThere are two camps here,\u201d Longwell said. \u201cThere are some things you can\u2019t control, like slips and trips that happen to people at any age. Maybe you\u2019ve had the flu or are dehydrated and you pass out and fall. A sinus infection can throw off your balance and you might fall. These can happen to anybody. So we\u2019re all at risk, at any age.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As we approach our older years \u2014 ages 65 or so \u2014 other factors also start to figure into the equation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt that point, things that lead to falls include impaired vision, hearing and balance,\u201d Longwell said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Aging can cause our senses to erode<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cVision is one of our senses and tells our brain where our body is in space. Hearing also contributes to that. The \u2018hearing nerve\u2019 does two things. Hearing is just one of them. It\u2019s also a balancing nerve. Being able to see and hear well affects our sense of balance. Cataracts and other vision issues can play into the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A common complaint of aging patients is a numbness in the feet. It\u2019s called neuropathy, and idiopathic neuropathy (no distinct identifiable cause) can be a factor, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it\u2019s present, you can\u2019t feel your feet as well as you once could. That can increase falls.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Chronic pain also is a culprit in causing falls<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI would argue that (if you have chronic pain) you are at a higher risk of falls. It can be very distracting. It can change how we walk, if we are hurting. So that affects gait and balance impairment. If my back hurts and I can\u2019t stand up straight, I might lean forward and throw off my center of gravity. That can lead to falls,\u201d Longwell said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-6 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<p><strong>The numbers on falling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2022One in four Americans ages 65 or older falls each year.<br \/>\n\u2022Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.<br \/>\n\u2022Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults.<br \/>\n\u2022Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including more than 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths.<br \/>\n\u2022The total health care costs from non-fatal fall injuries was $80 billion in 2020, the most recent year for which data are available. Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs shouldered 67% of these costs.<\/p>\n<p><em>Source: National Council on Aging<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>We have nerves that perform the job of helping us keep our balance &#8211; what\u2019s called <em>proprioception.<\/em> Simply defined, it refers to the brain\u2019s ability to perceive what\u2019s going on in the body.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s our ability to maintain balance and correct it when we have an imbalance,\u201d she said. \u201cThe brain has to compute quickly how to correct balance, but as we age, the brain\u2019s response to an imbalance signal might be slower.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Dementia is another culprit in falls among older people<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cPatients with dementia have a high fall risk. That\u2019s because your brain\u2019s processing speed is slowed down,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Those are all intrinsic risk factors, Longwell noted, \u201cthat are happening inside your body and you can\u2019t control them. That\u2019s especially true for older population.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Preventing falls<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThere are things we can do to intervene and drastically reduce falls,\u201d Longwell said.<\/p>\n<p>For one thing, \u201cdoctors need to check everything from ears to toes,\u201d she added. If a patient is falling, doctors check the effects of medications that a patient is taking.\u00a0 \u201cWe look at anything that might affect balance or alertness and address that appropriately,\u201d Longwell said.<\/p>\n<p>She periodically checks hearing, but she also checks her patients\u2019 feet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe ask them to take their socks off and check them. Ask: \u2018Can you feel them?\u2019 Look for hammertoes and other deformities. Those can affect their gait,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>To once again quote the National Council on Aging, \u201cFalling is not an inevitable result of aging.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Getting some exercise<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21828\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21828\" style=\"width: 189px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21828\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/06093947\/Dr.-Laura-Longwell.webp\" alt=\"A photo of Dr. Laura Longwell\" width=\"189\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/06093947\/Dr.-Laura-Longwell.webp 189w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/06093947\/Dr.-Laura-Longwell-112x150.webp 112w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 189px) 100vw, 189px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21828\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Laura Longwell, a physician at UCHealth Primary Care Clinic &#8211; Rockrimmon. Photo by UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Older adults are prone to falling may have to make some lifestyle adjustments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe less sedentary and more active,\u201d Longwell said.<\/p>\n<p>Stay active. Join recreation centers and sports leagues. Engage in physical therapy, including balance training. And try activities with proven results to help you stay active \u2014 like tai chi and yoga. If you can afford it, perhaps hire a personal trainer to help you with strength and balance issues.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Longwell also asks patients to assess the safety of their homes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs your environment safe for you? Are there a lot of stairs or obstacles that might cause a fall? Look at lighting, throw rugs, slippery floors, handholds in shower and by the toilet,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>She sometimes recommends a home safety evaluation, which will assess all those things.<\/p>\n<p>For patients who have fallen, she sometimes recommends walking aids.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWalking aids are helpful, but I always want a physical therapist to assess patients to see if a walking device is needed, and if so, which one, and toteach a patient how to use it correctly. There is a right and wrong way to use a walker and if used incorrectly, it can actually increase your risk of falling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the patient\u2019s condition, he or she may need anything from a four-pronged cane to a walker with a seat. An occupational therapist can make sure the device works with the patient\u2019s ability to grip and maneuver it.<\/p>\n<p>She recommends medical alert buttons if they are warranted and \u201cespecially if the patient lives alone and doesn\u2019t have someone readily available to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>None of these things are useful if the patient doesn\u2019t use them, of course.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Other considerations in fall prevention<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Does fear of falling affect people\u2019s ability or willingness to remain active?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, it\u2019s an easy way someone can become isolated,\u201d Longwell said. \u201cIf they fear they may fall, they may avoid going places. They can develop depression or anxiety. And isolation in the elderly can worsen cognitive function, which can be irreversible. Not to be too dramatic about it, it can actually shorten life span.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The NCOA site has this to say: \u201cFalls, with or without injury, also carry a heavy quality of life impact. A growing number of older adults fear falling and, as a result, limit their activities and social engagements. This can result in further physical decline, social isolation, depression and feelings of helplessness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Depression screening is important, too, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI ask: \u2018Are you going out and doing things?\u2019 Have them take the Geriatric Depression Scale \u2013 it\u2019s a good, quick survey. Mental health is a huge issue. People can be depressed and nobody notices or asks them about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also looks for substance abuse, most often alcohol. She had one patient whose daughter was concerned that her mother was drinking more alcohol than she had previously. The mother reluctantly admitted that she was.<\/p>\n<p>Longwell said it\u2019s important to look at the mental health as well as the physical fitness of each patient.<\/p>\n<p>When she sees a geriatric patient, she sometimes does the \u201cget-up-and-go test\u201d where she asks them to stand up out of a chair, walk a short distance, turn around, walk back and sit down again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo they look off balance? Is it hard to get up or down? Can they turn without losing their balance? If they have anything that\u2019s off, I\u2019ll ask them about it. It\u2019s a simple test, but it can tell you a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As people age, things change, and \u201cyou get used to a new normal. They may have an issue, but they say \u201cI thought it was normal when you get older.\u2019 But we don\u2019t want you to live with things that put you at risk of not living well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The upshot of all this is: \u201cIf you can prevent falls, you can prevent injury and increase a person\u2019s sense of wellness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Falling is scary. It\u2019s even scarier when you\u2019re in your 70s or 80s, and unfortunately, the risk of falling goes up as people age. So, it&#8217;s wise to stay as healthy as possible and do all you can to prevent falls, said Dr. Laura Longwell, an internal medicine specialist at the UCHealth Primary Care Clinic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":85020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[109,9187],"class_list":["post-21816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-fall-prevention","tag-readysetco"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Falling is a major health issue for people as they age - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As we age, vision, hearing and balance, along with medications, increase the risk of falls. 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