Myth Busting: Fall Prevention and Aging with Joy Fletcher
December 9, 2023
One out of four older adults will fall annually in the United States.
Our foundation at that early age dictates what we can handle as we grow older. Joy Fletcher is a fitness professional with more than three decades of experience. She owns Agile 4 Life Fitness, specializing in live and online fitness classes and personal training for seniors. Her latest project is a 12-week group program called Standing Strong, designed to help participants improve strength and balance to prevent devastating falls.
Joy is breaking her industry. She is busting the myth that as you age, it's just how it is. You're going to fall. You're not going to be as strong. That's just what it is to age.
Falling, says Joy, is a multi-pronged problem that starts when we're younger. We now know we begin losing muscle mass and bone density at age 30 – not 50 or 60 like what was once thought. This creates a loop where lost muscle strength means you're less stable and more apt to lose your balance.
Other factors also affect our balance as we age. How well we can hear affects balance. People who wear two hearing aids will have more problems. The same is true with vision issues and diabetes.
Diabetes might lead to neuropathy, so now the sensation in the bottom of your feet is not as good as it used to be. You can't feel the earth or connect to the ground. You might trip over something. And because of the muscle weakness, you can also have a drop foot, where you can't pick your feet or legs up high enough to walk. That might mean not being able to lift your foot high enough to get it up over a step or a rug.
The fear of falling can lead to shuffling, affecting our posture and mobility.
Joy says 30 minutes a day walking and doing some weight training will help. She says people tend to discount yoga and tai chi, but anytime we move the muscles, it will help. Stretching really is strengthening, she says.
In our 30's, we're busy. This is our most productive time; work usually blows up, and we feel like we don't have that time. But 30 minutes daily for fitness will help you in those later years.
Joys says you can still build quality muscle mass even at age 70, 80, and 90. You can start at any age, and it will still help.
"Why do you think I don't give my dad a break even though he's going to turn 96. And he gives me this look when he's working out," says Joy. "I have to remind him it's only two more reps. We can do this because it's quality. Every rep we do is going to be quality, and it's going to help him with his strength and his balance."
She says it's important to learn the form and the proper technique. Try not to get discouraged; don't rush – it comes gradually. But then, once you have it, you have it. It's like riding a bike. You develop motor control and muscle memory.
Muscle strengthening will help. Even if someone falls and they're older, they're still going to be able to catch themselves better and recover better.
Just because we get older, we don't have to fall. Joy says there's nothing better than watching someone gain their confidence from taking care of themselves better.
0:00 Intro
3:28 Factors for falling
13:29 Preventing falls early
16:12 Make posture a priority
19:33 Tip for elder years
23:39 No age limit to start
24:15 Statistics on falling
25:46 Falling is preventable
30:49 Using weights
32:40 Standing Strong program
35:44 Free gift for listeners
36:10 Outro