Falls typically happen due to balance problems that can develop with age, and having these issues threaten both a senior citizen’s safety and their personal independence.
A commonly held belief is that falling is an inevitable result of aging. However, we’re here to tell you that that’s not true! Falling can be avoided by knowing the risk factors that lead to it, and our Balance Master Program at Mount Carmel Senior Living can help you assess and improve upon any of your balance shortcomings. Suffering a fall takes an economic and emotional toll on an individual. This program’s goal is to help minimize those damaging effects and get you back on your feet!
Falls are one of the most common causes of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for older men and women. In fact, elderly falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments across the US annually. This includes over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths. These numbers may be scary, but those of us at Mount Carmel are doing our part to help mitigate this problem.
We believe that falls are not the result of a single cause, but rather the result of a combination of risks and factors.
Don’t just blame your loss of balance and mobility on your age—there could be a serious problem occurring. We will do a complete balance assessment to determine the underlying causes and come up with a treatment plan that offers relief from balance issues and protection against falls that could lead to life-limiting complications.
Balance Master therapy is one of the most innovative and sophisticated senior care and rehab programs in the country, and Mount Carmel is the only short term rehab center in all of Missouri to offer it. Therapists use it to evaluate balance concerns, treat problems, and identify other potential issues that can be related to walking, standing, dizziness or other chronic mobility disorders.
Originally developed by NASA to help evaluate the equilibrium of space shuttle crews, it offers the most advanced balance testing and treatment equipment available today. Balance Master is credited with allowing John Glenn to return to space at the age of 77.
The Balance Master program at Mount Carmel simply helps prevent falls from happening.
Computerized equilibrium test – evaluates the motor and sensory parts within your balance system.
Sensory test – assesses the three sensory systems that contribute to balance control: eyes, inner ears, sense of touch in your joints and feet.
Motor test – measures your ability to execute both voluntary and involuntary coordinated movements while still maintaining your balance.
All of these tests combined will help define the cause of your balance problem and will help your balance specialist come up with a custom treatment plan for maximized benefit. Balance therapy is available to residents and patients who participate in outpatient therapy at Mount Carmel. Contact us today to start your treatment plan!