Falls Prevention

Falls are a common occurrence among older people and are a leading cause of injury. They can have serious consequences, including pain, impaired function, loss of confidence in performing everyday activities, loss of independence, and even death. Fragility fractures often occur when someone with poor bone health – including osteopenia or osteoporosis – has a fall.

Falls are common among older adults, but with the right support, you can reduce their impact on your health and maintain your independence.

It is important to avoid slips, trips, and falls. Ensure that you have proper footwear, so avoid wearing loose or sloppy slippers that can cause you to trip. Building muscle strength, enhancing flexibility, improving balance, and quickening reaction time can help reduce your risk of having a fall. Even if you are in your 90s you can improve your strength and balance and achieve greater stability and prevent falls.

The Live Stronger for Longer Programme offers low-cost community strength and balance classes across New Zealand for adults over age 50. These classes are designed to improve your strength and balance. This will give you, confidence to do your daily activities, and help to maintain your independence. You can search for a local community strength and balance class on the Live Stronger for Longer website.

If you have a smart phone the Nymbl app is another valuable resource providing accessible and convenient balance training exercises that you can do at home. This app combines educational content with practical exercises, making it an excellent tool for daily practice. Nymbl can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Incorporating these exercises and resources into daily routines can significantly reduce the risk of falls and related injuries, ultimately improving overall quality of life.