By Colleen Acker, CareWell BeWell Activities Coordinator
The risk of falling can preoccupy your thoughts as you age. It’s a common belief that falls are a normal part of aging and that you should anticipate them. This belief fuels fears around falling, which makes actions as simple as walking feel like a risky task!
What you believe about yourself, your surroundings, and other people basically builds your reality. That reality can be built around fear or it can be built around possibility. Fears about falling often affect parts of your life in ways you might not realize. You may find your social-emotional health, physical health, and mental health all impacted.
When falling is a concern, many people stop participating in social gatherings or exercise. You may also find your living space stressful to move around in. While these reactions might seem logical, neglecting your social relationships, your body, and your home over time will lead to poor health outcomes.
Physical inactivity leads to muscle weakness and instability, which contributes to falls. Muscles that are not regularly used will not rise to the occasion when needed. If you are not maintaining your muscles by using them, your strength to walk and balance tends to dramatically decrease. Socially, staying home and avoiding others will only feed your worries around falling. There can be fall hazards in the home as well such as throw rugs, pets, and poor lighting which could make the most sure footed liable to fall.
The good thing is, there are solutions that will quell your fears around falling and give you confidence to believe in yourself and your abilities. Maintaining your muscles through exercise, keeping an active social life, and getting rid of fall hazards in your home can put your mind at ease. Exercise is key to keeping stability and balance! Lower body exercises, Tai Chi, and balance exercises can help the body regain the strength and coordination to prevent falls. Being socially active provides a sense of confidence that needs to be nourished. There are plenty of tips and tricks for making your home safe to navigate.
To learn more about preventing falls while maintaining your health and independence, join us for Matter of Balance, an eight-week, evidence-based workshop! There are two opportunities to participate in Matter of Balance.
The next session will be at Forks Senior Center on Mondays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, starting April 1. Participants must register by March 25. The following session will be at the Kool Family Community Center on Wednesdays from 9:00am to 11:00am, starting April 17. Registration is required for that session by April 10. To register for either session, call us at (269) 966-2450.