Taking a tumble isn’t something reserved for your elders, researchers have found.
Falling is something we usually associate with old age. Grandparents are the ones who need walkers, rubber-soled shoes, hand rails in the shower and appropriately placed furniture to ease the path while walking across the living room.
But this is changing. Maybe it’s the effects of less exercise in modern life, or maybe it’s always been this way and we never saw it.
New research is showing that falls aren’t an exclusive problem of advanced age. Researchers from Trinity College in Dublin have detected a sharp increase in falls after you reach the age of 40, particularly in women.
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The research, which drew on data from TILDA (the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing) as well as data from similar studies done in Australia, Great Britain and the Netherlands, found that women aged 40 to 49 have up to almost 20% more falls than their younger counterparts.
Chronic health conditions such as low blood pressure and heart disease are some of the factors behind the falls, but these causes weren’t a part of the study.
According to the authors, when it comes to older adults, one in three fall at least once per year, and one in two adults over the age of 80 years old.
The accidents can result in serious health consequences including fractures, head injuries, reduced social participation, an increased risk of being admitted to a nursing home, and a general decline in independence. For tips on how to avoid them, click here.
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