Home and Family

Archive for May, 2009

Preventing falls is a big problem in every direction. Between one third and half of those aged over 65 suffer a fall in a given year, and although many are minor, about one quarter due to physical injuries requiring medical care, including broken bones – mostly hip fractures. The NHS spends about 1.7 billion pounds on the treatment of hip fractures alone. Slips and trips are the most common kind of accident at home, and the risk of falling is one of the main factors to evaluate the ability of a person to continue living independently in their own home.

There are some simple precautions you can take to help prevent a fall. Various studies have shown that exercise can improve strength and balance, to have a significant effect in reducing the likelihood of falling. However, it is not always easy to go out for long walks especially in winter. Fortunately, there is a device called a pedal exercise that lets you stay home in your usual chair and drag your feet on two pedals and pedal away, you stay in shape. This pedal exerciser can be placed on a table and are used with your hands to increase the strength of the upper body.
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