Fall Risk Factors and their Prevention for Seniors
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Fall Risk Factors and their Prevention for Seniors
When you are young, a fall or two is just a brief moment of pain and heals complications free. But for the elderly, when the body is much less efficient at anything, falling once doubles your chances of falling again. As a caregiver, you must get to the bottom of what caused the fall and take preventative measures. By doing a few lifestyle changes with adequate muscle supporting high quality proteins and 12 immunity supporting nutrients^ with food and alternatives (eg. Ensure Gold or Ensure Gold Plant-Based Protein) in a loved one’s diet is the first step to recovery and prevention.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Chronic Illnesses can Affect Balance
How: Seniors have at least one chronic condition like diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and poor eyesight which cause weakness in extremities, poor grip strength, balancing issues, and cognitive impairment.1, 2, 3, 4
Prevention: Take note if your loved one has had any recent injuries. Remove obstacles that could cause potential harm. Get your loved one’s health evaluated by a medical professional from time to time and review medications. Deep dive their nutritional intake and provide muscle supporting protein rich foods like lean meats or vegetarian quinoa, rice, or soy proteins. Citrus fruits, mushrooms, and the same meat sources also provide vitamin D for strong bones and calcium absorption.1, 2, 3, 4
Daily Routines can cause unexpected injuries
How: It is sometimes not the preexisting conditions that cause injuries, but daily mundane routines. Eccentricity is ageless and it is quite common to see seniors bicycling to the neighborhood tea shop or watering the front lawn. Due to the natural decline in muscle strength (sarcopenia), a little misplaced footing or slight lapse in judgment of strength can result in broken bones that will take a long time to heal.1, 2, 3, 4
Prevention: Check up their vision health, ensure use of proper footwear, do strength and balance exercises, rearrange the home, and if possible, spend time and accompany them. Talk to your local medical professional to find possible assistive machines or tools to improve mobility.1, 2, 3, 4
Protein Deficiency Weakens Bones and Muscles
How: due to decreased ability to taste, chew, or digest, appetite is affected. Fatty liver, poor diet, or mental illnesses and habits can cause protein and other nutrient deficiencies. A senior’s body is less efficient at storing and processing proteins, so it is easy for them to be deficient in it. Because proteins are also essential for activation of antibodies that protect against infection and transports oxygen, protein deficiency can compromise a loved one’s immunity strength.5
What to eat: Daily protein intake for people ages 55 and above is about 0.8 g/kg of body weight. But keeping in mind that the body around that age is less efficient at processing, some seniors may need double that intake amount. Increased protein intake is only part of a healthy diet.5 An important nutrient for muscle building is Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB, a metabolite of amino acid Leucine), which you can get through eating high quality protein foods like lean meats, fish, soy, rice, and quinoa. If you are not sure of how much of what to eat, follow the Healthy Plate principle of ½ fruits and vegetables, ¼ grains, ¼ proteins, and 1 serving of dairy or dairy alternative.7 But due to also the loss of taste and general decrease in appetite, some seniors may find it difficult to consume this much food. And also, the fact that high quality nutrients like HMB are hard to get enough of through food alone. For this senior can add Ensure Gold, no. 1 Physician Recommended Oral Nutritional Supplement in the US for Muscles**, to their daily diet as an accompaniment or partial meal replacement. Scientifically formulated with a unique combination of HMB and Triple Protein Blend, along with 28 essential vitamins and minerals, 12 of which support immunity^, Ensure Gold can help improve strength+. For those who do not like the milk, Ensure Gold Plant-Based protein, made from soy, rice and quinoa, is the alternative for non-milk drinkers.6
Several factors can contribute to falls and injuries among seniors. Knowledge of these and preventative measures can help in reducing risks. Prevention is best and treatment involves monitoring and providing a complete and balanced nutrition. For seniors who have difficulty consuming high quality protein through food, Ensure Gold or Ensure Gold Plant Based Protein can be a whole or partial meal replacement.
If you or a loved one would like to try either, please visit Ensure Myanmar for more information.
References:
- https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
- https://www.agingcare.com/articles/falls-in-elderly-people-133953.htm
- https://www.healthxchange.sg/seniors/ageing-concerns/fall-prevention-elderly
- https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/preventing-falls-tips-for-older-adults-and-caregivers/6-steps-to-protect-your-older-loved-one-from-a-fall/
- https://www.todaysgeriatricmedicine.com/archive/summer2011_p6.shtml#:~:text=Aging%20patients%20have%20a%20much,the%20body’s%20growth%20and%20repair.
- https://abbottfamily.com.sg/brands/ensure/ensure-gold-hmb-liquid
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/#:~:text=The%20main%20message%20of%20the,beans%E2%80%94are%20healthier%20than%20others.
^ Ensure Gold contains protein, Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Folate and selenium, copper, zinc, and iron, that help support the normal function of the immune system
** *IQVIA, using the ProVoice Survey, fielded to 14,459 physicians from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
+ Ensure Gold contains scientifically evaluated level of protein which has been shown to improve strength