Professor Jeongyeon Choi, Department of Geriatric Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital
The white snow in winter creates a romantic atmosphere. However, as soon as the news of the snow comes, a red light turns on for the health of the elderly. This is because clothes that have become thicker due to the bitter weather make the movement dull, and falls accidents on ice roads that slip and fall on the thin ice that are spread around the road after carrying their hands in their pockets increase.
One-third of seniors over 65 years of age experience falls…half in winter
A fall is an accident in which you fall suddenly, regardless of your will, and injure your bones and muscles. In the United States, it is known that about one-third of people 65 and older experience a fall at least once each year. 10% of them are accompanied by severe injuries such as fractures and brain injuries, and about half of those who have experienced falls repeatedly fall.
According to a fall survey conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 51.7% of fall inpatients in winter are 10.4 percentage points higher than other seasons, and a whopping half of all falls occur in winter. These winter falls are very common in older people and can cause serious problems and require special attention.
Reduced physical activity for the elderly who experienced falls … increased risk of death
In older people, falls directly cause bodily harm. And in the long run, elderly people who have fallen once become afraid of falling again, and the amount of activity is drastically reduced, resulting in lower overall physical function, lowering the quality of life, and eventually increasing the risk of death. Therefore, it is important to accurately identify and manage the risk factors of falls to reduce the risk of falls and reduce recurrence of falls.
Falls may be accompanied by lower extremity muscle strength, poor balance, cognitive decline, decreased vision, arthritis, dependence on daily living skills, depression, taking multiple drugs, heart disease such as arrhythmia, and nervous system diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.
Comprehensive assessment and reduction of the risk of falls can improve the health of the elderly. So, what can we do to prevent falls in our daily life and prevent serious damage even if we fall?
If you have experienced falls in the past year, you should get medical evaluation.
First, it is important to have a general assessment of whether there is a medical problem if you have had more than one fall in the past year.
1) In case of two or more falls in the past 1 year 2) In case of damage to the extent of visiting the emergency room due to a fall 3) In case of having problems with walking or balance while having at least one fall in the past year If so, it is necessary to judge as a high-risk group and check whether there are any medical problems.
The phenomenon of falls itself is caused by medical problems of the elderly, functional decline due to natural aging, and external factors such as slippery floors. Through the diagnosis, further evaluation of symptoms such as loss of consciousness or dizziness in the event of a fall, treatment of the disease, and adjustment of medications are required.
Safety Rules for Fall Accidents
Keep exercising indoors for bone and muscle health
Second, you need to be prepared to strengthen your bones and muscles. Osteoporosis and vitamin D need to be evaluated to avoid breaking bones in the event of a fall. Even if you fall with the same strength, it is recommended to treat osteoporosis if you have osteoporosis because it is not easy to fracture if the bone is strong.
It’s always a good idea to maintain athletic performance in order to maintain balance or quickness as well as bones. One way to check yourself is the’Stand Up’ test. If it takes more than 12 seconds to start sitting in a chair, get up from the chair, walk 3m, and sit back on the chair, you may be suspected of deteriorating physical function.
If you are an elderly person with a poor physical function, exercising consistently is a good preventive measure to prevent falls. You can improve your muscle strength and sense of balance by repeating exercises such as sitting and getting up from a chair and standing on one foot in the house without going outside in winter.
How to test standing up and walking
Walk with your hands out of your pockets, avoid slippery roads
Third, keep in mind that you need to be careful when going out in winter. When going out, it is important not to wear it to the point that it makes your body dull, and to walk with your hands out of your pockets even if your hands are cold. This is because the degree of damage is much less when a wrist fracture occurs when a hand falls down than a hip fracture or a cerebral hemorrhage occurs because the hand cannot touch it when a fall.
In addition, it is recommended to go to a bright place in a shaded area because there is a high probability of ice on the floor and it may be difficult to see. If possible, it is important to avoid sloped roads or irregular roads with protruding sidewalk blocks, and to reduce the chance of slipping by removing moisture from the bathroom or kitchen in a timely manner even inside the house.
A fracture caused by a fall can happen to anyone from momentary inattention or accident. However, as efforts to minimize the risk of falls can be sufficiently prevented, elderly people should be very careful of the usual risk factors.
If you fall, it is better to get the correct diagnosis and receive the necessary treatment so that you do not suffer further due to missed treatment time.
Bum-gu Lee reporter [email protected]
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