A simple accident like tripping on a rug or slipping on a wet floor can change your life. If you fall, you could break a bone, which thousands of older adults experience each year. For older people, a broken bone can also be the start of more serious health problems and can lead to long-term disability.

If you or an older adult in your life has fallen, you’re not alone. More than one in four people age 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of falling — and fall-related problems — rises with age. However, many falls can be prevented. For example, exercising, managing your medications, having your vision checked, and making your home safer are all steps you can take to prevent a fall.

Many older adults fear falling, even if they haven’t fallen before. This fear may lead them to avoid activities such as walking, shopping, or taking part in social activities. But staying active is important to keeping your body healthy and actually helps to prevent falls. So don’t let a fear of falling keep you from being active! Learn about what causes falls and how to lower your risk of falling so you can feel more comfortable with staying active.

Many things can cause a fall.

Your eyesight, hearing, and reflexes might not be as sharp as they were when you were younger.

Certain conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or problems with your thyroid, nerves, feet, or blood vessels can affect your balance and lead to a fall.

Conditions that cause rushed movement to the bathroom, such as incontinence, may also increase the chance of falling.

Older adults with mild cognitive impairment or certain types of dementia are at higher risk of falling.

Age-related loss of muscle mass (known as sarcopenia), problems with balance and gait, and blood pressure that drops too much when you get up from lying down or sitting (called postural hypotension) are all risk factors for falling.

Foot problems that cause pain, and unsafe footwear such as backless shoes or high heels, can also increase your risk of falling.

Some medications can increase a person’s risk of falling because they cause side effects such as dizziness or confusion. The more medications you take, the more likely you are to fall.

Safety hazards in the home or community environment can also cause falls.

by Carol Leish, MA

“A common denominator for older adults being at risk of facing homelessness is a fixed low income that isn’t keeping pace with the cost of housing in Ventura County,” according to Carey Aldava, Manager of Ventura County Adult Protective Services Program. “Many older adults who face homelessness are affected by the increased cost of housing in California and the lack of affordable senior housing options. According to 2022 data from the Homeless Management Information System, 25% of those experiencing homelessness in Ventura County are older adults living on a fixed social security income. Older women may be disproportionately impacted by the loss of their spouse’s income, which affects their ability to afford housing”

Going through the pandemic has affected older adults in various ways. Aldava said, “During the pandemic, some older adults may have lost a spouse who supplied additional income to the household. Some dependent adults may no longer have been able to afford their existing housing and may have had to relocate, or in some cases, have become homeless for the first time. The United Way of Ventura County’s Landlord Engagement Program has been offering signing bonuses and holding deposits to help secure more rental units for low-income households. To learn more, visit: www.unitedendhomelessvc.org/landloard-engagement-program.

“Understanding how the pandemic disproportionally has affected the need of special populations, like the elderly and people who are unhoused, could be helpful in being able to better address issues related to the pandemic in Ventura County.

“Older adults who qualify as Adult Protective Services (APS), clients and have a current protective issue,” may be eligible for emergency housing funds through APS. To qualify for APS services, adults must be 60 and older or between the ages of 18-59 with challenges caring for themselves and needing someone to advocate for them.” As to resources available, Aldava said.

According to Jennifer Harkey with the Ventura County Continuum of Care in the County’s Executive Office, “the Ventura County Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program provides grant funding to local residents who are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness (received a notice to vacate). To learn more, call: (805) 385-1800 or visit: www.vchsa.org/homeless-services-more.”

The connection of resources can help. Harkey said, “Our community can better tackle homelessness by collaborating and working together as a community, which includes: helping to connect people to resources, working with landlords to advocate for permanent housing options, and sometimes even providing cash assistance that may be available to help people get back on their feet. Shared housing options for seniors on fixed incomes is one creative approach in this high-cost rental market. The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging has a HomeShare program to help match renters/owners who are interested in sharing a home. To learn more call: (805) 477-5300 or visit: www.vcaaa.org/our-services/housing.”

Reporting self-neglect of an individual is important. “If an older or dependent adult lacks housing, that is considered a type of self-neglect and is reportable to Adult Protective Services,” according to Aldava.

“Our team would respond to the report by working to link the older or dependent adult to needed services and provide them with available housing options within the community. Reports of suspected abuse or neglect may be made online at www.reporttoaps.org or by calling the Child and Adult & Neglect Hotline at: (805) 654-3200.

“Also, the Ventura County Continuum of Care offers resources for those experiencing homelessness who need housing, a shelter or other resources. Please call: 2-1-1 or visit: www.venturaacoc.org.

Everyone needs social connections to survive and thrive. But as people age, they often find themselves spending more time alone. Being alone may leave older adults more vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation, which can affect their health and well-being. Studies show that loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher risks for health problems such as heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline.

If you are in poor health, you may be more likely to be socially isolated or lonely. If you are socially isolated or feeling lonely, it can put your physical and mental health at risk. Adults who are lonely or socially isolated are less healthy, have longer hospital stays, are readmitted to the hospital more often, and are more likely to die earlier than those with meaningful and supportive social connections.

The number of older adults age 65 and older is growing, and many are socially isolated and regularly feel lonely. The coronavirus outbreak in 2020 brought even more challenges due to health considerations and the need to practice physical distancing.Older African American woman combats loneliness and social isolation by video chatting with her family on a tablet.

Loneliness and social isolation are different, but related. Loneliness is the distressing feeling of being alone or separated. Social isolation is the lack of social contacts and having few people to interact with regularly. You can live alone and not feel lonely or socially isolated, and you can feel lonely while being with other people.

Older adults are at higher risk for social isolation and loneliness due to changes in health and social connections that can come with growing older, hearing, vision, and memory loss, disability, trouble getting around, and/or the loss of family and friends.

People who are socially isolated or lonely are more likely to be admitted to the emergency room or to a nursing home. Social isolation and loneliness also are associated with higher risks for:

People who are lonely or socially isolated may get too little exercise, drink too much alcohol, smoke, and often don’t sleep well, which can further increase the risk of serious health conditions.

People who are lonely experience emotional pain. Losing a sense of connection and community can change the way a person sees the world. Someone experiencing chronic loneliness may feel threatened and mistrustful of others.

Emotional pain can activate the same stress responses in the body as physical pain. When this goes on for a long time, it can lead to chronic inflammation (overactive or prolonged release of factors that can damage tissues) and reduced immunity (ability to fight off disease). This raises your risk of chronic diseases and can leave a person more vulnerable to some infectious diseases.

Social isolation and loneliness may also be bad for brain health. Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to poorer cognitive function and higher risk for dementia, including and especially for Alzheimer’s disease. Also, little social activity and being alone most of the time may contribute to a decline in the ability to perform everyday tasks such as driving, paying bills, taking medicine, and cooking.

The Eldercare Locator connects the public to services for older adults and their families. This resource seeks to provide assistance for a wide range of issues affecting older Americans, including social isolation and loneliness.

Call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 or visit https://eldercare.acl.gov/ to get connected today.

For additional resources on older adults and social isolation and loneliness visit, Expand Your Circles: Prevent Isolation and Loneliness As You Age (PDF, 4.75M).

Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight and prevent chronic diseases ranging from heart disease to diabetes. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get a minimum of 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week, or at least half that amount of vigorous-intensity activity.

Previous studies have found that a wide variety of leisure-time physical activities can provide health benefits. But these studies have largely been done in younger adults. And many did not track different levels of various types of activities.

To understand whether older adults benefit from various types of exercises, NIH researchers led by Dr. Eleanor Watts analyzed data from more than 272,000 participants in a national health survey. The participants were first surveyed in the mid-1990s. When they responded to a follow-up questionnaire between 2004 and 2005, they had an average age of 70.

The study captured information on health conditions, habits like smoking and alcohol use, socioeconomic status, and diet. It also recorded participation in seven different recreational activities. These were running or jogging, cycling (outdoors or on a stationary bike), swimming, other aerobic exercise (such as aerobics class or using exercise machines), racquet sports, golf, and walking.

The researchers examined the risk of death during the 12 years of the study. They compared reductions in that risk provided by different levels and different types of physical activity. Results were published on Aug. 24, 2022, in JAMA Network Open.

Among older adults who exercised regularly, walking was the most common activity. That was followed by other aerobic exercise, cycling, golf, swimming, running, and racquet sports. Older adults who participated in any combination of these activities but did not meet the recommendations in the physical activity guidelines had a 5% lower risk of death during the study then those who were inactive.

Those considered active — with at least the amount of aerobic activity recommended by the guidelines — had a 13% lower risk of death compared with inactive participants. Participation in racquet sports and running was associated with the greatest risk reductions, but all activities provided benefit.

The risk of death continued to decrease with additional activity beyond the recommended levels. But these returns diminished as activity increased to high and very high levels.

Running was associated with the greatest risk reduction for death from cancer. Racquet sports were associated with the greatest risk reduction for death from heart disease. However, people who got the recommended amount of exercise, regardless of activity, had a reduced risk of death from both cancer and heart disease.

“We found that all types of recreational activities that get people moving are associated with greater longevity,” Watts says. “So, the most important thing an inactive older adult can do to improve their health is find an activity that they enjoy and can stick with.”