Research Study Confirms Author's Assertions That Falls Are Preventable
A study published by the New England Journal
of Medicine has reconfirmed what author Betty Perkins-Carpenter and more than 30,000 senior citizens have known all along that better balance can help prevent falls.
Now in its fourth edition, Perkins-Carpenter's book How to Prevent Falls pioneered "The Balance System®," her regimen of exercise,
movement and activities designed specifically to improve balance and, in doing so, reduce the risk of falling, particularly among the elderly.
"For
years, medical professionals, and laypeople, too, have believed that muscle weakness and loss of mobility was simply part of growing
old," says Perkins-Carpenter. "Everyone agreed that there wasn't anything that could be
done about it." Everyone but Perkins-Carpenter, that is.
Her
work with seniors, developing fitness procedures to meet wide-ranging needs and limitations imposed by age, illness and infirmity, quickly
showed her that as muscle strength was enhanced, so, too, was balance. The results among seniors
who participated in Perkins-Carpenter's subsequent balance program demonstrated a reduction in frequency of falls and a dramatic decline in
injuries sustained when falls were unavoidable. How to Prevent Falls was an outgrowth of
Perkins-Carpenter's findings. Reprinted in 1999 by Senior Fitness Productions, the book has more
than 50,000 copies nationwide and is now in international distribution.
It is
expected that the study described in the New England Journal of Medicine will generate even more interest in the link among improved strength,
enhanced balance and fall prevention. The research, led by Dr. Mary Tinetti, a former Kaiser
Family Foundation scholar at the Yale University School of Medicine, was intended to investigate "whether the risk of falling could be
reduced by modifying known risk factors"
Among
the risk factors evaluated by Dr. Tinetti and her colleagues were muscle weakness, impairments of balance, and the use of various medications. Both control and intervention groups were studied. Subjects
in the intervention group received behavioral recommendations relating to medications of a
sedative or hypnotic nature, as well as training in gait and balance to correct observed impairments
in transfer skills, balance, leg or arm muscle strength, or range of motion in hip, ankle, knee, shoulder, hand or elbow.
In a
discussion of study findings, Tinetti and her associates concluded that " the targeted-intervention strategy reported here was associated
with reduction in the proportion of subjects who fell and in the incidence of falls. Although the
numbers were small, the subjects of the intervention group also reported fewer interventions and fewer episodes of medical care associated
with falls. The greatest difference between the two groups was among subjects with impairments in
balance or transfer skills and among those who took four or more medicines."
The
conclusions drawn in the study coincide with a message Betty Perkins-Carpenter, her readers and fans have been following and advocating for 30
years.
"Balance
can be improved. Falls can be prevented. Injuries
can be reduced." The animated Perkins-Carpenter practically chants these words. "I'm thrilled that Doctor Tinetti’s research has been published, but you know, we really got
there first with the program that's already prevented serious problems for thousands of seniors and, in the process, helped them to live far
more active and productive lives!"
Certainly, Betty Perkins-Carpenter has good reason for both her pride and her pleasure.
