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The Journal on Active Aging brings articles of value to professionals dedicated to older-adult quality of life. Content sweeps across the active-aging landscape to focus on education and practice. Find articles of interest by searching the article archives in three ways: Enter a keyword in the articles search bar; click on search by topic; or type a keyword or phrase in the general search bar at the top of the page.

Topic- Balance training

 

Lesson plan for a balance class by Susan Bovre, M.A.-370

Lesson plan for a balance class by Susan Bovre, M.A.

Maintaining balance is the result of a complex interaction of many systems and subsystems of the human body. With aging, changes occur that reduce the efficiency of these systems, which jeopardizes balance and increases the risk of falls.

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Balance training

Catch a wave for better balance on land by Mary Sanders-144

Catch a wave for better balance on land by Mary Sanders

In Dr. Walter Bortz's keynote address at the 2002 American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Summit, the author of We Live Too Short and Die Too Young and Dare To Be 100 recommended balance training as an integral component of health programs, especially as people age.

Balance can be defined as the ability of a person to maintain the body's position over its base of support while moving or in a stationary position. People use dynamic balance during activities that move the arms and legs from the center point around the body. Some examples include stepping up and over an object, reaching for the door, pressing the elevator button, lifting groceries off a shelf, stepping and turning. Static balance is stationary stability, or balance while standing still. This type of balance is the most sensitive to aging. As static balance decreases, postural sway increases as a person tries to stand motionless.

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Balance training

Balance and bands by Michael E. Rogers, Ph.D., CSCS-141

Balance and bands by Michael E. Rogers, Ph.D., CSCS

One-third of community-residing adults ages 65 years and older suffer a fall each year. With more than 35 million older adults in the United States, this rate equates to more than 10 million falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults, and a significant cause of injury, disability and healthcare costs. In 2000, 1.8 million falls in the U.S. resulted in an emergency room visit for head trauma, soft tissue injuries, dislocations and fractures (including 340,000 broken hips), accounting for $16.4 billion in direct medical expenses.

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Balance training

Effect of medication use on balance and mobility  by Debra J. Rose, Ph.D.-137

Effect of medication use on balance and mobility by Debra J. Rose, Ph.D.

In addition to certain medical conditions being strongly associated with increased fall risk among the elderly, both the type and number of medications prescribed to older adults contribute to heightened fall risk. Specifically, it has been demonstrated that older adults who are taking more than four prescription medications are four times more likely to sustain a fall than their peers who are taking fewer prescriptions medications (Campbell, Borrie & Spears, 1989).

Certain types of medications have also been shown

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Balance training

Maintaining safe balance and mobility: when is fitness enough and when is medical help needed?by Lewis M. Nashner-36

Maintaining safe balance and mobility: when is fitness enough and when is medical help needed?by Lewis M. Nashner

A wealth of new information indicates that declines in mobility and increased risk for falls are not inevitable consequences of aging. So why has there been a frightening increase in the rates of injury and disability related to falls in the aging population?1, 2, 3 Why do epidemiological studies show that one-third or more of those over 65 years-old experience falls, half of whom do so repeatedly? Why are dizziness and unsteadiness among the most common reasons for physician visits among older adults? Why is unsafe mobility a leading cause for loss of an independent lifestyle?

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Balance training

Total items: 11

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