The small matter of "wrestling" may not be a big deal for young people, but for the elderly, it may be related to the quality of life or even life.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 300,000 people die from falls each year worldwide, half of them elderly over the age of 60.
On the mainland, falls have become the number one cause of death from injuries in the elderly over the age of 65, and the older they are, the higher the risk of casualties due to falls.
After a fall, the elderly may have soft tissue injuries, dislocations, and hip fractures, resulting in a greatly reduced quality of life and increasing the burden on the family.
Life Times (search for "LT0385" within WeChat to pay attention to) interviews experts to analyze the health risks of the elderly after falling, and demonstrate a set of anti-fall actions designed for the elderly.
Experts interviewed
Wang Lin, Professor of rehabilitation department, School of Sports Science, Shanghai University of Sport
Zhu Weimo, a member of the American Academy of Sports Sciences and a tenured professor at the University of Illinois
Li Haicong, chief physician of the Department of Geriatrics of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China-Japan Friendship Hospital
An old man's fall may be the "last fall"
The elderly fall is often called the "last fall", because the elderly are prone to fractures after falling, and the main parts are the hip joint, vertebrae, wrists and other places.
Hip fractures are the most serious, also known as the "last fracture of life", the mortality rate is as high as 20% to 30%, and the disability rate is high, 42% of patients can not recover pre-injury mobility, 35% can not walk independently.
If the head lands, it will also lead to brain trauma bleeding, most of which need to be bedridden and rested, and the reduction of physical activity is easy to induce venous thrombosis of the lower limbs, muscle weakness, decreased appetite, digestive tract diseases, etc.; the wound healing of the elderly is relatively slow, which is easy to cause infection and cause secondary injury.
On average, 3 to 4 people over the age of 65 in mainland China have fallen. According to U.S. data, 20% to 30% of the elderly who fall will suffer moderate and severe injuries, resulting in inability to take care of themselves or even death.
Two major factors increase the likelihood of a fall
There are many reasons for the elderly to fall, and the biggest impact is the following two factors.
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environmental factors
The ability of the elderly to identify and avoid environmental hazards is reduced due to their frail health and high incidence of geriatric diseases.
For example, the floor design is unreasonable, and the elderly are very likely to fall accidentally at the corner of the stairs or when going up and down the stairs; poor lighting and inappropriate handrails will make the elderly unable to detect the danger of falling in time.
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Physiological factors
Decreased gait stability and impaired balance function in the elderly are the main reasons. Cerebral arteriosclerosis and insufficient cerebral blood supply can easily cause dizziness and reduce the ability to balance. Sudden cerebral infarction, coronary heart disease, chest pain, and premature beats are also common causes. Blurred vision and hearing loss will directly affect the judgment of the elderly on obstacles.
In addition, improper use of sedative drugs, psychotropic drugs, cardiovascular drugs, etc., or the simultaneous use of multiple drugs, can also increase the risk of falls in the elderly.
It should be reminded that the following are a few "peak hours" when the elderly are prone to falling:
Get up: At this time, blood pressure, blood sugar and other indicators may be unstable, easy to dizziness, headache, dizziness, chest tightness, etc.
Bathing: The bathroom is slippery and slippery, and the temperature rises to cause vasoconstriction and increased sweating, resulting in hypoxia, dizziness, dizziness, etc.
Getting up at night: the number of night ups in the elderly increases, and the vision becomes worse, coupled with the unfavorable legs and feet, it is difficult for the body to maintain balance.
Answering the phone: Some elderly people will reflexively answer the phone when they hear the phone ringing, ignoring the coordination of body movements.
Take the escalator: the balance of the elderly is poor, even if they support the handrail, they may not stand steadily. Try to choose a straight elevator, and the escalator should be held with your feet on equal shoulders and standing apart.
In case of a fall, how to reduce the damage
Falling can't be completely avoided, and remembering a few things can reduce the damage caused by falls.
When you fall
Remember two actions when you fall, which can effectively reduce damage: pull or hold on to the fixture next to you; and use your hand to support the ground when you fall.
Hip landing will cause hip fractures, lumbar compression fractures, the later stage may require long-term bed rest, seriously affecting the quality of life; with hand support is often injured wrist joints, at most leading to distal ulna or distal radius fracture, injury and treatment and care is much less difficult, basically no fatal complications.
After a fall
Don't rush to get up, first evaluate the injury, specifically: move your body slowly, feel the pain, and whether the movement is limited. When you are not injured and feel that you have enough strength, you should consider standing up.
Slowly get up without injury:
◎ Start from the head, from top to bottom, until you turn to a crawling position (Figure 1); the hands exert force, the knees support the ground, climb to a sturdy chair or furniture; put your hands on the chair, one hand at a time (Figures 2 and 3);
◎ Support yourself with a chair, raise your lower leg perpendicular to the ground, and maintain a kneeling position on the other leg; with both arms and legs exerting force, slowly get up and stand and turn around (Figures 4 and 5); sit on a chair and rest for a few minutes (Figure 6).
Calm down after an injury:
Try to identify injuries and use an emergency medical alert device, or call 120 and your family for help.
If you don't have a help device, you can shout for help, or you can grab something nearby and knock on the floor or furniture to make a noise to attract attention.
When a person who falls has the following 3 types of situations, he should not be lifted up immediately, and he should call the emergency number for professional help at the first time:
1. People who fall have severe headaches or crooked corners of mouth, unfavorable speech, weakness of hands and feet, etc., which may be cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction.
2. If the elderly have neck and back pain, abnormal neck and waist and hand movements, or paresthesia, urinary and urinary incontinence, etc., it mostly indicates that the injured person has cervical and lumbar spine injury.
3. The limbs of the fallen person have pain, deformity, joint abnormalities, position changes, etc., indicating that there is a limb fracture, and blindly lifting or moving will cause the fracture to be misaligned.
The elderly are anti-fall, often doing 7 actions
The following 7 exercise methods can increase muscle strength and avoid the occurrence of falls, it is recommended that the elderly do it 2 to 3 times a week, and it is best to make sure that there are people around when practicing.
Stand in the corner
Stand with your back to the wall, legs shoulder-width apart, for 1 minute; slowly reduce the distance between your feet, close your eyes, and hold for 1 minute. Those with poor balance need to support a chair.
Stand in tandem
One foot is placed directly in front of the other (the heels of the toes meet), and if it feels difficult, the distance between the feet can be slightly larger. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat 3 to 4 times. During the exercise, you can use your hand to touch the wall or fix the object to maintain balance.
To increase the difficulty, you can walk in tandem, that is, put one foot in front of the other with the heel close to the tip of the toe.
Sit-stand training
Sit in a sturdy chair with your feet naturally flat. Sit on the front 2/3 of the chair with your hips, use the strength of your legs, stand up, stand firm and then sit down slowly. Repeat 5 times without the help of the power of your hands.
Elderly people with poor balance can face fixed objects, such as standing at a desk or having a family member in front of them to protect them.
Lie on your back and raise your legs
Lie on your back, straighten your legs up to as perpendicular to the ground as possible, pause for a moment and slowly lower and restore. Each leg is repeated 10 times as a group, a total of 3 sets are completed, with a break of 30 seconds between groups, and 3 to 4 times a day.
Bridge type
Bend your knees and lay your feet flat at shoulder width, lift your body up while contracting your hip muscles vigorously, pause for a moment at the very top of the movement, and return to your starting position. 10 times for a group, a total of 3 sets, 30 seconds of break between groups, practice 3 to 4 times a day.
Stand up and raise your heels
Stand with your hands on the countertop, feet shoulder-width apart, and stomp the tiptoes of both feet to lift the heels of both feet off the ground. Do it 10 times in a row for a group, complete 3 sets, and practice 3 to 4 times a day.
Step on the steps
Put your right foot on the steps first, your left foot up and down the steps, and keep your right foot on the steps. Keep your body stable during your workout. Repeat the right foot 10 times, then change the left foot to do the same.
In addition, children and caregivers should avoid the risk of falling in the home and reduce hidden dangers:
Handrails and railings should be set up according to the behavior habits of the elderly, especially near the shower area and toilet;
Add a height-appropriate shoe changing stool with armrests at the door;
Eliminate sill and floor height differences;
Replace the floor of the kitchen, bathroom and other wet and slippery rooms with anti-slip materials;
Choose a safe and stable bath chair and bathe in a sitting position;
Add sensor lights in commonly used aisles such as bedroom leading to bathroom;
Choose a bed with the right height, and set up a table lamp next to the bed that is easy to reach.
Finally, it should be reminded that the elderly should do regular vision and body examinations every year; rationally plan their diet, pay attention to supplementing high-quality protein, and eat some eggs, lean meat and other foods appropriately. ▲
Editor of this issue: Wang Xiaoqing Action demonstration: Tian Yuting