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Preventing falls is job one at ProHealth

Falling in the United States is a $19 billion problem. The senior population is the largest growing segment of the population, as people are living longer and longer.

One professional who is concerned about this issue is Dr. James Nussbaum, Ph.D., MSPT, SCS, CSCS, EMT and clinical director of ProHealth & Fitness, who has made eight presentations on fall prevention, including a lecture in Albany at the New York State Department of Health Symposium on Fall Prevention.

"At ProHealth PT OT, we have a strong focus on fall prevention and helping seniors age in place and maintain their independence. We focus on improving the quality of life of our patients and helping their days be active days, through skilled physical and occupational therapy," said Nussbaum.

Nussbaum points out that often as we age, our reflexes slow down, we lose muscle mass and get weaker, we need to think about walking, our coordination is less precise, our vision deteriorates, and other biomotor abilities tend to be less effective than they once were.

These are some of the many intrinsic risk factors for imbalance and falling.

The Center of Disease Control reports that one in three adults over 65 and one in two over 80 will fall each year. Of the many terrible consequences of falling, hip fracture is among the worst and most devastating. Twenty percent of patients over 65 who fall and break a hip will die within a year, 25 percent will be institutionalized for the rest of their lives, and the remaining 55 percent go back into the “pot” with a significantly higher risk of falling again.

ProHealth’s Fall Prevention Programs have proven successful and have decreased falls and fall related injuries, according to Nussbaum. Their highly skilled therapists see patients in the comfort of their homes, or in one of their four clinics, including their newest location at 120-46 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens.

For more information or an appointment, call 347-296-8930.