Holy Corona!

The coronavirus pandemic has kept many of our older adults inside to weather the storm of the virus and protect the health of those with underlying medical conditions. You may be thinking that this is the perfect time to get caught up on re-runs of the Lawrence Welk show, but here at ARC Therapy we think this is a perfect time for you to work on your balance and prevent falls with a home based exercise program! Home based programs can be a great way to stay healthy and be consistent with your exercises.

Falls remain one of the leading causes of disability in older adult populations. 1/3 of adults over 65 fall each year and that number increases to 50% of adults older the age of 80. Exercise is an important part of fall prevention. A Cochrane review found that exercise can reduce fall in elderly populations by 23%!

One such exercise program is called the Otago Exercise Program. It was shown in one study to reduce falls by 35%! It includes a combination of posture, strength, and balance exercises. Here is a link explaining the Otago program and includes a video of how these exercises can be done at home.

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Otago_Exercise_Programme

Good luck, stay healthy, and stay active!

Campbell AJ, Robertson MC for the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation. Otago Exercise Programme to prevent falls in older adults. 2003. Accessed 2 October 2018.
Sherrington C, Fairhall NJ, Wallbank GK, Tiedemann A, Michaleff ZA, Howard K, Clemson et al. Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community. (Cochrane Review) Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019; (1): CD012424 (https://www.cochrane.org/CD012424/MUSKINJ_exercise-preventing-falls-older-people-living-community)