DALLAS - Like a lot of people, former flight attendant Mary Nicholson wasn't an exerciser. But two years ago she changed all that — at age 71. For Nicholson, part of the motivation to exercise was to be strong and agile enough to avoid a fall. "I'm bound and determined I'm not going to fall and break a bone," she said during a workout that included balancing on one leg, working with weights and stair-climbing.
Nicholson says she feels better, is stronger, and her balance is much improved.
With one in three adults over the age of 65 falling each year, experts say that people should follow Nicholson's lead as they get older.
In 2004, the most recent year statistics are available, almost 15,000 people 65 and older died from falls and about 1.9 million were treated for injuries in emergency rooms, said Judy Stevens, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"I think the magnitude of the problem is something that people don't recognize," Stevens said. "It really is a serious issue for older adults."
Making sure that people over the age of 65 know how to avoid falling or being injured by a fall is the goal of a campaign launched this month by the National Athletic Trainers' Association and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070320/ap_on_he_me/fitness_fear_of_falling
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