6 Reasons to Be Thankful About Balance in 2024
There are a lot of scary headlines about falling and how it can negatively impact quality of life. But at this time of year, when thoughts turn to gratitude, we’d like to highlight some of the positives about your aging body in today’s world and what that can mean for your balance and fall risk.
Scientific Advances
In the last couple of decades, there have been key advances in our understanding about how the human body changes with age – right down to the cellular level. This, coupled with better ways of sharing information between researchers and the general population, and the reporting of varied experiences (under controlled clinical conditions, observational studies and individual stories), has shown how neuroplasticity, or the body’s ability to adapt, continues all the way through life. At the start of this century, most people believed that once you reach a certain age, all you had to look forward to is decline.
Now we have numerous examples of how that isn’t true, and that daily habits like exercise, hydration and sleep in particular can protect against balance problems and are also potent tools for rehabilitating and strengthening balance, leading to fewer falls and better quality of life.
In fact, especially when it comes to your physical balance, your body adapts to how you spend your days (or hours). How much and the type of movement you do every day or every week has a greater impact on your balance health than age alone. There are also short-term events which can affect balance. One bad night’s sleep can reduce your balance significantly the next day (different people are affected differently by fatigue), but it bounces back when you’re well rested. Your level of hydration also affects your cognitive ability, which is a key component of your balance system.
By understanding these mechanisms and how they play into not just balance but all aspects of healthy aging gives you the power to choose how you want to respond to the challenges of aging that we all face. You are not a victim of your birthday, and there are many small ways you can write the aging journey that you want to have. Modern science helps us deliver truly personalized care to every individual.
Trained Therapists and Trainers Focus on Aging
According to the American College of Sports Medicine report, fitness programs for older adults is the #3 strongest trend for this year. Groups like the Functional Aging Institute specialize in training coaches who want to work with older clients, and it’s great to see the fitness industry is really getting behind the idea that people over 65 need and deserve different training modalities that focus on strength, mobility and fitness compared to younger cohorts. Many of the fitness experts leading the way are themselves over 50 so they understand the challenges personally as well as professionally.
Exercise can help with so many of the difficulties of aging, from joint pain, cardiovascular health, sleeping, and cognitive health. As any good physical therapist will show you, even if you’re incapable of standing on your own right now, with the right program and support, many people can reverse that decline. You can make the smallest start, and the tiniest progress daily, and find that gradually your balance system, leg and core strength will improve until you can not only stand unsupported but be able to walk.
Drug Interactions
Even if you don’t have an experienced gerontologist, all physicians and pharmacists have access to the American Geriatric’s Society Beers list which flags drug which negatively affect older adults. As more is understood about how various medications affect balance, you can advocate for yourself or family member by asking for a full review of your medications and a plan to safely reduce use if appropriate.
Technology
The last few years have firmly discredited the false notion that older adults can’t or won’t use technology, with AARP reporting that 89% of people over 60 use smart phones. There has also been an explosion of devices from smart hearing aids to fitness trackers to balance tech like the ZIBRIO Stability scale that empower older adults to improve their experience of aging by addressing some of the biggest challenges.
AARP’s Agetech Collaborative (of which ZIBRIO is a member) selects new technology companies who are dedicated to improving the experience of aging, giving them valuable access to advisors and partnerships as well as helping the public learn about new developments that can help them.
Good Quality Content
It’s true you can find almost anything online if you look hard enough, but amongst the snake oil there are also trusted, accurate information sites to educate and help people improve their understanding around aging and explore different approaches that might suit them. You don’t have to be limited by the experience of those physically close to you, but can find out about what’s on the cutting edge of aging on your own terms.
Organizations like AARP, CDC, National Council on Aging, Silver Sneakers provide free, valuable information to help you navigate choices and access free exercises that can help you keep mobile and strong as you age. Other companies like ZIBRIO, have free smartphone apps that focus on sensorimotor exercises which address specific aspects of balance, so you can work on what your body needs most.
Success Stories
It can feel impossible to know how realistic your ideas of healthy old age are if you have nothing to compare them against. Fortunately, our interconnected world allows easy sharing of the wide range of stories from thousands of people, just like you. Turn to ZIBRIO’s Personal Stories for examples of various older adults who have figured out their balance. Or take a look at Growing Bolder, a nationwide media organization and partner to the National Senior Games, whose mission is to elevate stories of vibrant aging. You may also want to follow the work of Ashton Applewhite, who tackles everyday ageism in all corners of society.
Groups like the International Council on Active Aging champions forward thinking senior living companies who are changing the old-fashioned ideas about how we should spend our golden years. Residents want fun, meaningful activities, life-long learning, healthy food and community. The leading senior living companies are partnering with accredited physical therapy groups to assess and help residents begin a course to improve balance, range of motion as well as general fitness classes.
Just because you’ve downsized your home doesn’t mean you have to downgrade your life. If you’re considering selecting a senior living residence, ask them if they have a comprehensive program like ZIBRIO’s Fall Reduction Program available to you. It can make all the difference.