Let’s talk about a secondary effect of COVID-19 that people haven’t paid enough attention to: increased #falls and fractures in older people (a thread) 1/5
Falls are a major health problem. They cause 3 million ER visits and 800,000 hospitalizations in the US each year. Three older Americans die from a fall EVERY HOUR. (2/5)
Muscle weakness and balance problems are major fall risk factors. Older people rapidly lose strength when they are inactive. And right now, millions of homebound older people can not do their regular activities. (3/5)
But there is good news! Many studies show that falls can be prevented. Exercise is the single most effective intervention. There are lots of ways to get home-based strength and balance exercises to our elders, but here’s a plug for one... (4/5)
HomeStrong.net is a free resource that @coukell and I created with the support of top fall prevention experts. It provides strength and balance exercises that people can do at home with no special equipment. Https:/:homestrong.net. Please share!
Bonus tweet Sources for data cited in this thread: cdc.gov/homeandrecreat… Ncoa.org/healthy-aging/… cochrane.org/cd012424/muski… @MrDisability @withyouDrWu @Sandy_REACHLab @CathieSherr @marlabeauchamp @anzfps @jpbettger @AARP @WestHealth @NCOAging @ajette1
