Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
At least 50 percent of the U.S. population will develop a balance issue, at some point in their lives. Balance disorders typically happen to the aging population, between the ages of 50 to 75. Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy and Balance Center is now offering at-home land based therapy and you don’t have to be home bound to qualify.
• Do feel like you are one fall away from a disaster?
• Are you having close calls and losing your
balance?
• Do you have a history of falls and are worried
about the next big one?
• Are you concerned that your friends and family
will need to care for you if you injure yourself in
a fall?
The National Council on Aging has published some alarming statistics gathered from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding falls in the aging population. These statistics include:
1. One in four Americans over the age of 65 fall each year.
2. An older adult is treated for a fall in the emergency room every 11 seconds across the country.
3. Unfortunately, every 19 minutes, an older adult dies as a result from a fall.
4. In older adults, falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of trauma-
related, nonfatal hospital admissions.
5. In 2014 alone, the total cost of fall injuries was $31 billion!
6. By 2020, it is projected that the financial cost for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages, which could very well reach $67.7 billion.
Freedom from Falls Program
Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy and Balance Center has heard the calls of the community and we are rolling out our solution with our land-based balance program Freedom from Falls. Our Freedom from Falls Program entails a cutting edge and scientifically backed balance training program that is designed to target the three balance centers of your body; your eyes, ears, and feet.
With the Freedom From Falls Program you can:
• Stay home as long as you desire and age in place
• Stay out of the hospital and nursing home
• Give your friends and family peace of mind
• Restore your confidence and hope for a healthy
future
• Give you a stronger body, better balance and
improved endurance for everyday activities
The Importance of Balance
According to VeDA, balance is the ability to maintain the body’s center of mass over its base of support.” Balance systems help people to see clearly while moving, identify orientation with respect to gravity, helps to determine direction and movement, and to adjust and maintain posture and stability without fear of falls.
Sensorimotor systems control balance, including vision, proprioception, and the vestibular system, along with integration of that sensory input; and motor output to the eye and body muscles. These systems can falter because of injury, drugs, aging, or disease, along with various psychological factors that can through off balance. Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy’s Freedom from Falls Program address the three main balance centers of the body: sight, touch, and the vestibular system.
Solutions from the Freedom from Falls Program
The Freedom from Falls program can provide the following solutions to our patients:
• Improves balance, steadiness
• Reduces light headedness and dizziness
• Reduces the fear of falling
• Decreases pain associated with walking
• Increases independence with activities of daily
living and makes your home environment safer
• The Physical therapist will use a combination of
hands on techniques, carefully supervised balance
exercises and review home safety elements
The goal of the program is to:
• Retrain and tune up the balance system
• Educate caregivers, patients and loved ones on
home safety and home therapy
• Improve safety in walking to help make every
step a safe and secure step.
Why Do People Have Balance Trouble and Unsteady Walking?
Balance issues can stem from many health issues, including, but not limited to:
• Vestibular (inner ear problems)
• Stroke or brain injury
• Muscle weakness
• Joint stiffness and pain
• Decreased sensation in the feet (neuropathy)
• Eye disorders
• Blood pressure changes
• Certain medications
Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy and Balance Center is currently running a promotion offering a FREE BALANCE SCREENING at the patient’s home so they can see how they stack up against the national average.
The TUG test, which stands for Timed Up & Go measures the seconds to complete the short distance test that projects and analyzes who is risk for falling.
Call today to schedule your appointment at (941) 400-1505, or visit the Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy and Balance Center website at freedomrehabaquatictherapy.com.
Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy and Balance Center
941-400-1505
freedomrehabaquatictherapy.com
17162 Toledo Blade Blvd.
Port Charlotte, FL 3395
Exit 179 North port’s Toledo Blade exit and minutes from US 41
