Problems with your vision and hearing can make it more difficult to move around safely. This can affect your ability to judge risky situations, take precautions when moving around your home and recognise hazards, leading to an increased risk of falls. Read more about looking after your feet Memory loss, confusion or difficulties with thinking or problem solvingĪs we get older, problems with memory loss, confusion, difficulties with thinking and problem solving, can become more common. Numbness in the feet, sometimes linked to diabetes, can leave you unable to fully sense where your foot is on the floor, leading to an increased risk of a fall. Problems with our feet – such as corns, calluses, bunions, ingrown or thick nails and ulcerations – and footwear that is poorly fitted and inappropriate for the occasion, can also increase a person's risk of falling.įoot problems can also make it more difficult to exercise and keep active, which is especially important if you're already unsteady on your feet because of weak muscles or poor balance. Many of these conditions can be treated successfully. atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rate)Īlways speak to your GP if you've experienced a black out, loss of consciousness or have found yourself on the floor and don’t know why or how.Loss of consciousness can be caused by a number of things, including problems with your heart rate and rhythm caused by conditions like: If you're prone to black outs, fainting or losing consciousness, you're at a high risk of having a fall. problems with your heart rate or rhythmīlack outs, fainting or loss of consciousness.inner ear problems – such as labyrinthitis or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).This can be caused by dehydration, ageing circulation, medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease and heart conditions and some medications used to treat high blood pressure postural hypotension (orthostatic hypotension) – a drop in blood pressure when getting up from lying or sitting.Understanding why you become dizzy is important to countering the risk. It's not normally a sign of anything serious, but should be checked out by a doctor. There are a number of reasons why someone might be dizzy or lightheaded.
health conditions – such as stroke and Parkinson’s diseaseįind out how to improve your balance and muscle strength Dizziness or lightheadedness.conditions like arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)Ī number of things can cause poor balance, including:.Our muscles gradually get weaker as we get older, affecting our strength and balance and making it more difficult to undertake daily activities.Īs well as normal changes caused by ageing, there are a number of reasons why our muscles get weaker, including: drinking too much alcohol, especially with medication.taking medication that makes you dizzy or drowsy.memory loss, confusion or difficulties with thinking or problem solving.foot problems – including pain and deformities.black outs, fainting or loss of consciousness.poor balance, causing unsteadiness on your feet.If you experience any, or a combination, of the following you could be at an increased risk: Falls prevention is about recognising, and where possible, taking action to reduce the risk. The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk of falling. Risk factors for fallsįalls are usually caused by an interaction of a number of risk factors. Risk factors relating to your health and wellbeing, activities and surroundings can contribute to a fall.Īlthough hazards within the home often contribute to a fall, more often than not falls are caused by personal risk factors. What is a risk factor?Ī risk factor is something that increases your chances of developing a problem, disease or injury. It's true that as we age our chances of having a fall increase, but falls are caused by a number of risk factors that can affect a person of any age. We shouldn't accept falls as a normal part of getting older.