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Each year, U.S. hospitals have 300,000 admissions for broken hips, and falling is often the cause of those fractures Balance exercises help avoid the disability - often permanent - that may result from falling. There is a lot of overlap between strength and balance exercises; very often, one exercise serves both purposes. Any of the lower-body exercises for strength are also balance exercises. They include plantar flexion, hip flexion, hip extension, knee flexion, and side leg raise. Just doing regularly scheduled strength exercises will improve balance at the same time. However, doing strength exercises too often can do more harm than good. Simply do strength exercises, and incorporate balance techniques slowly. "Non-compliant" patients lead to adverse outcomes
Recent studies show that more than 70% of patients do not receive recommended preventative care, while over 50% of chronic disease patients do not receive the follow-up care indicated by evidence-based guidelines. According to results from the 2006 DOQ-IT Study and the 2005 HEDIS Study, patients who are "non-compliant" with preventative and follow-up care recommendations often fall off the radar screen, leading to adverse outcomes for the patients. New software is now available to physicians' offices that tracks recommended care from annual physicals, to diabetics getting their HbA1c checked, to vaccinations, immunizations, and health screenings. See www.phytel.com for more information on the software that automatically notifies patients of needed health care actions and tracks patients for compliance, while measuring quality. The study referenced can be found here: The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse estimates that more than a million elderly are abused or neglected in the U.S. each year Most often, the culprit is a blood relative. It's estimated that 90 percent of elderly abuse is committed by family members -- with adult children making up 40% of that total and spouses comprising 27%. In Indiana, the Elder Crimes Task Force, in collaboration with the Monroe County prosecutor's office, Indiana Legal Services, and Bloomington Hospital, produced a DVD video called "Power of Attorney: What You Need to Know." It educates people on how to protect themselves when signing a power of attorney document, and on other matters, such as how to appoint a health care representative to make decisions regarding their health care should they become incapacitated. The DVD can be purchased at www.savingourparents.com for $29.95. Shingles vaccine recommended by the CDC Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say people over age 60 should get the Zostavax vaccine to protect themselves from shingles. Researchers have found the vaccine cuts the occurrence of shingles by about 50% in people age 60 and older, and it reduces the risk by 64% in people ages 60 to 69. The CDC says people ages 60 years and older should get the single dose of Zostavax even if they have already suffered a bout of shingles. Women with vitamin D deficiency are nearly twice as likely to have back pain Scientists at the University of Delaware have found that older women who have low levels of vitamin D may have a higher risk of suffering back pain. The researchers looked at blood levels of vitamin D in 958 people 65 and older. 58% of the women in the study, and 27% of the men, had at least moderate pain in some part of their body. For men, there was no relationship between vitamin D levels and pain. But the researchers found that women with vitamin D deficiency were nearly twice as likely to have back pain that was moderate or worse. Balance exercises improve stability, and help prevent falls Studies suggest that tai chi may improve balance and help prevent falls in older adults. Tai chi is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise. Tai chi is performed standing with a defined series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each movement or posture flows into the next without pausing. Long-term tai chi practitioners have improved knee joint stability, which aids in balance. To review simple exercises that help in maintaining balance as one ages, visit: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/balance-exercises/SM00049 Just say "no" to those calories and reduce dementia risk A recent study showed that obese people with a large waist size were the most likely to develop Alzheimer's. This new study found that keeping that fat on in your 40s could double or even triple your risk of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers looked at 6,583 people and followed their progress over 30 years. They found that those who had larger waists during middle age were in some cases 270% more likely to develop dementia than the people who had smaller waists. This remained true even if people did not have a body mass index (BMI) that qualified them as obese. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7314458.stm
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