How Can the Elderly Help to Avoid Falls? Two New Recommendations are Tai Chi and Reviewing Medications According to an Updated Study from the American Geriatrics Society and British Geriatrics Society.
The American Geriatrics Society and British Geriatrics Society recently updated their 2001 guidelines for preventing fall in the elderly. Two new changes are (1) recommending tai chi for balance, and (2) having doctors review elderly patients' medication to reduce the use of drugs that tend to increase the chance of falling.
Previously, the study did not make any exercise recommendations and only recommended reviewing medications for patients taking more than four medications.
According to multiple people interviewed for this New York Times article, tai chi is the preferable exercise because it seems to help reduce the risk of failling. However, the study also suggests that other forms of balance work may be just as effective. Many instructors recommend the use of exercises either sitting down or standing behind a chair to help with support.
In addition, the study goes further with respect to scaling back patient medication than it has before. Study authors now advise that all older patients have their doctors review their medications to eliminate drugs or drug combinations that may increase the risk of falling. In particular, medications that affect the brain, including antidepressants, sleep medications, blood pressure medications, and anxiety medications tend to increase the risk of falling.
Last, the study updated the criteria for when an elderly person should get a fall risk evaluation:
- An elderly person scared of falling
- Two or more falls in the past year
- One or mall falls causing injury
- Ongoing difficulty with balance while walking
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