Linda Heppenstall was quick to restart her exercise routine after fracturing her hip in her kitchen in early 2020. “I closed the fridge and then tried to open it again quickly, and I slipped on the floor,” recalls the 69-year-old retired dentist who is also the mother of three grown children, as well as a recent grandmother.
“I have always exercised to get rid of stress; and, I have always loved to play sports,” she says. “I played a lot of field hockey when I was young — and quite a bit of tennis and squash — and hiked a lot.”
We exercise to keep our bodies fit, but as we age the benefits of exercise for our minds may be just as important to prevent physical injuries. According to the results of a randomized control trial led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher and Canada Research Chair, Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, testing for and improving cognitive processing speed is important when it comes to reducing injurious falls among at risk older adults.
When the human body is sensing its movement, location and positioning, also known as proprioception, many neural systems are hard at work. Researcher Dr. Robyn Mildren has a keen appreciation for these systems and how their changes due to aging can lead to mobility issues and falls, particularly for older adults.
Vancouver, BC — A home-based exercise program reduces injury and falls by improving cognitive abilities, according to new research published in the Journal Gerontology: Medical Science in November 2020.
“There is a strong brain-body connection when it comes to falls, such that reduced cognitive function puts one at greater risk for falls. Evidence also suggests exercise reduces falls and is good for your brain,” says study principal investigator, Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose.
Adults over 85 years old make up the fastest growing population segment in Canada. With frailty being prevalent among older Canadians, it’s vital to be able to accurately measure muscle loss–a major contributor to frailty–and intervene if necessary to improve health outcomes and quality of life, says Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) scientist Dr. Graydon Meneilly.
“Reduced muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia, has a lot of negative health implications for older adults such as reduced daily function and increased risk of falls and fractures,” says Meneilly.
An in-home exercise program reduced subsequent falls in high-risk seniors by 36 per cent, according the results of a 12-month clinical trial published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
For 84-year-old Vancouver resident Eileen Curtis, walking and talking at the same time has become something of a hazard. Four years ago, she took a bad spill on the sidewalk doing just that. But it wasn’t until she participated in Action Seniors—a clinical trial funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for older adults at high risk for falling—that she learned that looking to either side of her while walking and talking makes her lose her balance.
