As patients age, we know that cardiovascular exercise is an excellent way to maintain overall healthy habits while boosting heart and brain health.

But let’s not overlook the importance of balance and strength training exercise, especially from a fall prevention standpoint.

“Older adults should combine a strength and balance program with a walking program for the greatest protection against a fall,” says the National Council on Ageing.

Shubert T, Elmitt R. What exercises can help you prevent a fall? National Council on Ageing. June 2, 2023.

Ultimately, this type of exercise can be lifesaving.

Ahead, learn more about fall prevention through balance training and what exercises are recommended for older patients.

Fall prevention saves lives

Fall prevention is a top concern among our older patients, with the consequences of a fall increasing in severity with age. Preventing falls can not only decrease emergency room visits but also save lives.

The CDC created the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) Initiative to play a key role in fall prevention for older adults.

In an interview with the CDC, Frank Floyd, MD, medical director at United Health Services Hospitals, described his experience in implementing the STEADI Initiative to screen, assess, and intervene among his patients.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Stand STEADI: Successful fall prevention leads to better outcomes. YouTube. July 1, 2020.

He reported a significant benefit: “We found that the fracture rates had decreased in the range of about 30-40%."

What exercises are recommended?

Balance and strength training play a crucial role in fall prevention. Experts recommend exercises such as the following to improve strength and balance among older patients:

• Sit-to-stand

• Standing heel raises

• Standing on one leg

Additionally, yoga is widely recognized for improving balance and strength, and it can be used among older patients.

A 2022 study found that a four-week yoga-based intervention “had positive effects on the static, dynamic and total balance scores” of seniors aged 65 and older.

Krejčí M, Hill M, Kajzar J, et al. Yoga exercise intervention improves balance control and prevents falls in seniors aged 65+. Zdr Varst. 2022 Mar 21;61(2):85–92.

The program used Sarvahita Asanas from the Yoga in Daily Life system, which had the participants do the exercises while sitting on a chair or standing by a chair.

“Chair-yoga based intervention represents a financially and spatially undemanding, physically well manageable, feasible, well-tolerated, and safe intervention, and one that may help seniors to develop the balance condition necessary for mobility and social interactions," the study authors concluded.