Seniors practice falling for safety
CHICAGO (Adriana Diaz) -- 81-year-old Mary Kaye is one of hundreds of senior citizens coming to Dr. Clive Pai's lab at the University of Illinois Chicago to learn how to fall with a lot of help. The seniors, who fall here, are less likely to slip in the real world. Mary first came four years ago. Now, she's learned to stop herself from falling. Dr. Clive Pai said, "They will be walking and not feeling anything differently and it‚„s like all the sudden they slipped on a banana peel. We found actually after this kind of training they will have a 50 percent reduction in their everyday fall." Seniors reported falling half as often after just two hours of simulated falling. The results lasted a year, according to Dr. Pai's study published in June. The learning happens subconsciousy. Though cognitive memory tends to diminish in the elderly, Dr. Pai found that his subjects' muscle memory is sharp. Their bodies learn how to correct for a fall after a few controlled stumbles Dr. Pai added, "Its almost like they learn dance moves they know the footwork after they made a mistake." His findings could have a big impact. Falling is the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among the elderly, costing the healthcare system 30 billion dollars a year. 1 in 3 adults, 65 and older takes a spill at least once a year. Dr. Pai hopes that same "muscle memory learning" can one day be taught to seniors around the world, so they can move forward with confidence. Follow us on Twitter @Local12 and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGRsMI9Hei4
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