Balance: Staying Stable When Things Are Changing, Dr Brian Hay

Dr. Brian Hay Balance - Staying Stable When Things Are Changing by Longevity Explorers: Recent @ Providence

We may have laughed at the ad, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” but with one third of people over the age of 65 having at least one fall a year, falling is very serious. Jerianne Berman and Miriam McCabe, members of the Providence Circle’s Steering Committee, organized the May 16 meeting, which featured Dr. Brian Hay, a physical therapist and Chief Programs Officer at Performance Physical Therapy in Providence, RI. His topic is “Balance—Staying Stable When Things Are Changing.”

Hay discussed the importance of balance in fall prevention and injury, how to know whether you balance is good, and what do to improve it. He noted that falls are common the leading cause of fatal injury.

Many factors can increase the risk for falls, including physical problems, medications, and level of activity. Dr. Hay discussed the importance of understanding factors affecting balance, exercising to improve your balance, and coordinating medications. He demonstrated several exercises to improve balance and suggested the following simple steps to improve balance:

• Talk to your support system
• Clean up your clutter
• Repair / remove any tripping hazards
• Install handrails or grab rails (on both sides of stairs) Avoid loose clothing
• Have adequate lighting
• Help your feet get a grip
• Don’t rush!

Participants timed their ability to rise and sit down unaided from a chair, and took several tests available on (www.cdc.gov/steadi): “30-Second Chair Stand” “Timed Up & Go (TUG).”  Other resources recommended by Hay include exercise programs like “Silver Sneakers” though local Y’s, Tai Chi programs, www.StopFalls.org, and a video on You Tube, “Twenty-three and a Half Hours.”

You can also learn more about falling and how to prevent it in a series of "curated expert articles" organzed by Tech-enhanced Life, which you can find at the link below. This series includes how to find the best fall prevention program, and the best exercise programs for helping improve your ability to avoid falling.:

• Avoid the Perils of Falling