Sunday, October 23, 2022 | Special Advertising Section 1 R 10 Maintaining a balanced life is always important, but this becomes especially imperative to our physical well-being as we age. The older we get, the increasingly crucial role balance plays in helping to prevent dangerous falls. According to King County Public Health, two-thirds of seniors who experience a fall will fall again within six months, and 60% of fatal falls occur in the home. For those 65 and older, one in three experience a fall at least once a year; furthermore, one in 40 of those folks will be hospitalized, and only half of those hospitalized will survive the year. Thankfully, several local programs raise visibility on the topic, and regional doctors and physical therapists offer practical assistance in this realm, too. There’s even an annual national awareness campaign called Falls PreventionWeek. Year-round at Harborview’s Fall Prevention Clinic, dedicated staff aim to deliver a research- and evidence-based approach. Though there’s been much research on the subject over the years, this body of information still hasn’t sufficiently reached the public, according to Elizabeth Phelan, M.D., professor of medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the UW School of Medicine. “We’re trying to translate this into real-world practice,” she says. At the clinic, Kristina Moser Cosley, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of patients with orthopedic injuries and geriatric patients with fall risk. The team first completes an evidence-based assessment of modifiable fall risk factors and conducts a falls-focused physical exam, examining a patient’s strength, balance and gait. For example, they will see whether the patient can stand from a chair without using their arms. Through these evaluations, Phelan explains, they try to learn what’s most important to patients and what activities they may have begun to restrict before delving into treatment planning. They develop an exercise routine customized to each individual that mixes static with dynamic balance exercises (during which one is shifting weight and moving). If a fall-prevention exercise program is recommended, patients initially are seen once a week, and frequently after that for as long as six months. In order for !"#$$%"&#'"#()'*+'#,-(*.."'($**%-($*(/"%)(#0*12($/"( 1345'6&7#5-13+(.#%%-($/#$(#'"(7*,,*3(#,*3+(-"31*'-( !"#$"#%&'()(#*+ By Corinne Whiting Special to Aging Well COURTESY OF SUGARCANE YOGA AgingWell !"#$%&&
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