For Elderly, Falls May Mean Serious Injury
Almost 2 Million Older Americans Head To The Emergency Room Each Year Because Of Falls
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Play CBS Video Video Falls Can Be Deadly For Elders Falling is the main cause of injuries leading to death among the elderly. In 2005, nearly 16,000 died after falling. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a growing effort to stop this deadly problem.
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"I feel like I'm going to fall down," said Schraeder. "I hold on to things, like the walls or the chairs or something so I don't fall."
Since she started having balance problems a year and a half ago, Schraeder has broken her wrist falling in the backyard and admits to falling several times in her home, reports CBS News contributor Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
"It's kind of an embarrassing situation … because I know a lot of people are saying 'Look at the drunk old lady,'" she said.
Schraeder's situation is part of a growing epidemic - almost two million older Americans go to the emergency room each year as a result of falling. With millions of baby-boomers heading into their retirement years, health officials worry about a tidal wave of injuries.
"The potential for this particular problem in our community is huge," said Sharyn Heuer, of Scottsdale Healthcare in Arizona. "I just think that we don't put it in the same category as things like cancer and heart disease and stroke because so many times, it's so often viewed as a normal progression of aging."
One possible solution is the use of space-age technology - literally. Schraeder visits the Balance and Mobility Center at Scottsdale Healthcare, where technology originally developed to test the balance of astronauts back from space is now used to pinpoint problems that can lead to falls.
It's kind of an embarrassing situation…because I know a lot of people are saying 'Look at the drunk old lady.'
Diane Schraeder"The problem with rugs is that as we age, sometimes our leg strength weakens. And so we may not pick up our feet as much and so you trip over the rug," said Scottsdale fire official Patty Jo Angelini.
Schraeder, who was diagnosed with an inner ear problem, hopes that she can improve her balance and quality of life through exercise and therapy.
"It's been a pain in the neck," said Schraeder. "It's been a year and a half I've been stumbling around. I go to bed now at 7 to 7:30 every night just because I'm tired of stumbling around all day."
Falls can be deadly, reports Gupta, as 30 percent of seniors who break their hip die within a year.
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this because we do not store vitamin d, and there are
only certain times of the year that our bodies can actually make vitamin d. Of course, this is the hottest time of the year, and most of us use sunscreen
or do not get out in the sun at all. Their vitamin d
levels are closely checked, and many report their stability on their feet is much better and actually
feel better with less pain than before. This is just
an FYI, but thought you might be interested. Thanks, Laura Ingle, RN