As we all age, it can come with some difficulties for our bodies. They do not necessarily operate the same way they did when we were young and growing or as young adults experiencing the world and starting our lives. We begin to notice some changes as our bodies slowly adjust to being an older age. With these bodily changes comes the need to make other preventative changes in our lives so we are not injured or sick as often as we might be otherwise. One of the most important things we can do to prepare is listen to our bodies and act appropriately.
While we may not be able to necessarily control diseases that attack our bodies throughout our lifetime, we can take preventative measures when it comes to certain injuries. One of the main things we can address is our bodies changing, our bones changing and the frequency that falls can occur causing serious damage to our bodies. Whether it?s wooden canes, an Irish blackthorn cane, or classy canes, it?s very important to find a mobility device that works for you and to stick with it.
The statistics are not pretty. In the United States alone, 25 percent of elderly individuals fall each year. While you might imagine these falls taking place outside, at the grocery store or in a park, nearly 50 percent of them occur within the home.
What?s even more important to address is the number of times a fall results in an unexpected trip to the emergency room for an older person. Over two million elderly individuals visit the emergency room due to a fall every year. This is often because they are injured to the extent that they must seek medical care immediately. To put this statistic another way, an elderly person visits the emergency room due to an unexpected fall every 11 seconds in America.
So, what are some things we can look out for to try and prevent such unexpected falls?
There are two main causes of falls in the elderly population: unsteadiness and dizziness upon standing up or walking around.
So, how can we use preventative measures to avoid such unexpected falls?
We can?t necessarily watch out for dizziness or unsteadiness all of the time, especially if we do not live with the elderly individual. We can, however, encourage the use of canes and walking sticks like folding canes or an Irish blackthorn cane.
Today, the uses of canes and assisted walking devices is actually very common with around 6.8 million Americans using them to get around easier and more safely. For those aged 85 and older, that?s nearly 40 percent who choose to use an Irish blackthorn cane, decorative walking canes or another type of cane. For those 65 and older, at least 10.2 percent choose to use a cane.
Whether it?s dizziness, unsteadiness or something like osteoarthritis that makes mobility more difficult for an elderly individual, it?s important that they get the help and assistance they need. Especially if they are still living on their own, they need the proper tools to get around on their own safely and easily.
Have you ever purchased a cane like an Irish blackthorn cane or another type of cane for an elderly friend or elderly relative? Let us know in the comments how you decided what type of assisted walking device to purchase. Read more.
