EDITOR’S
NOTE
You
can read more about the benefits of exercise for
the older person in the Staying
at Home Nutrition & Health
section
of the CareDirections site.
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FALLS
PREVENTION EXERCISE PROGRAMME
Use
it or lose it - whatever your age!
Keep
fit conjures up images of lithe young things
sweating in the gym as they pump iron, or work out
on the treadmill. Fitness is, however, far wider
reaching than that and is not the province of the
young alone. For them it may be about attracting
the opposite sex, but for older people increasingly
living alone, the importance is far greater - where
fitness can mean retaining independence and
preventing illness and injury.
Muscles
that are not used shrivel away, bones become
thinner and the heart flabby when not worked - even
the brain if not exercised is at greater risk of
dementia. Someone who sits in a chair for six hours
a day, whose main activity is a slow walk into the
kitchen will loose muscle power and strength.
Muscle which is not exercised becomes less
efficient and tires more easily - so even modest
exertion becomes difficult, stairs become a
mountain climb and a trip to the shop a marathon.
Yet,
exercising for just 30 minutes three of four times
per week has been shown to increase muscle strength
(even if you are 90) and to bring activities
long-abandoned back into the realm of what is
possible and pleasurable. After just a few weeks of
regular exercise reaction times improve, increasing
the prospect of recovery from a fall - and even
bones become stronger, thus reducing the risk of
fracture if a fall does occur.
Disease
prevention becomes more important as we get older
and risk of disease increases - yet many treatments
become more effective at saving lives as we age;
treating high blood pressure is just one example.
Fitness of the heart, cardiovascular system and
lungs are increased by the exercise and blood
pressure lowered. So, an exercise regime becomes
more important as we become older and our risk of a
heart attack or stroke increases.
Inactivity
is a potent cause of swollen ankles and the
chronic, poorly healing, skin ulcers that can
result. Yet, keeping legs active can reduce
swelling and improve peripheral circulation.
Exercise should become a central part of illness
prevention for all of us, but even more so as we
age.
The
biggest headline for the benefit of exercise comes
in the area of fracture prevention:not
surprisingly,when it is realised that a hip
fracture at age 80 carries a greater risk of death
within the year than does breast cancer, or that
40% of admissions to a nursing home are triggered
by a fall! Bone density and,therefore, bone
strength are increased by exercise. Studies in 90
year olds have shown that simple exercises increase
bone density in as little as 12 weeks. Specific and
targeted exercises that increase bone density can
reduce the risk of hip and spinal fractures through
reducing osteoporosis - which affects as many as
25% of men and 60% of women over the age of
70.
Exercise
to be most effective needs to be targeted and
specific - and should include balance and
co-ordination training, as well as strength and
power. It should take place at a level of intensity
and in an environment that is safe, so as not to
increase the risk of injury.
Specific
exercise classes that can offer this are,
unfortunately, few and far between. That is where
the 'Active for Life' video programme can come in.
In the video, two of the UK's leading experts in
exercise in the elderly - Dr Dawn Skelton, exercise
physiologist and Susie Dinan, clinical exercise
practitioner discuss and demonstrate a series of
scientifically-proven exercises - that promote
health and reduce the risk of injury. As these
exercises can be performed at home, there is now no
reason to put off starting an effective health-
improving exercise programme for another
day!
Dr
Simon Bradley MBBS DCH MRCGP
Medical Advisor ‘Active for Life’
Falls Prevention Programme.
HOW
TO OBTAIN YOUR 'ACTIVE FOR LIFE' VIDEO
PACKAGE
The
‘Active For Life’ exercise programme pack
comprises a 90 minutes video, information booklet,
wallposter and exercise stretch band. Order now by
going to the ‘Active
For Life’ web
site
or telephone 0117 9406409.
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