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| New Mexico Senior Olympics, Inc. | Summer 2005 |
New Mexico Senior Olympics
Announces New Partnership
with Department of Health
The New Mexico Department of Health reports:
“Falls in older adults are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries, and the
third leading cause of fatal ones. Most falls in older adults occur in the home.
Hip fractures are especially serious. For many seniors a hip fracture is so
disabling that they never return to independent living in the community. Risk
factors for falling include previous falls, dementia, poor eyesight, hearing
loss, unstable walking, medications, alcohol use, slow reflexes, slippery and
uneven surfaces, poor lighting, wobbly furniture, and tripping hazards.”
The National Council on Aging
commented in “Senior Focus”, March 2005 Issue, “In 2002 falls caused 12, 800
deaths and sent 1.6 million seniors to the hospital emergency room. Put another
way, every hour one older American dies and 183 go to the hospital for
fall-related injuries.”
There is also good news for the adults 65 years and older that are exercising and participating in sports. We have long known that regular activity is key to injury and fall prevention and Seniors are taking the message to heart-- keeping active and exercising regularly for quality of life, weight control, love of sport, illness prevention, and rehabilitation from surgery. The 1992 Healthy People report shows that the number of adults 65 and older who engage in leisure-time physical activity is estimated to be more than 60%.
Many of these active seniors take a vigorous approach to working out and competing. Thus, many find themselves with overuse injuries. If fact, overuse injuries are the most common sports injuries among older athletes. Just as in younger athletes, injury prevention for senior adults should emphasize strategies that improve strength and flexibility. Furthermore, for senior athletes, overuse injuries are often compounded with chronic injuries such as arthritis of the knee, hip, wrist, and spine. The key for keeping seniors active and on the playing field is to make every effort to prevent injuries.
There are four main methods to prevent injuries in senior athletes: moderation, recognizing pain, flexibility training, and resistance training.
Moderation basically means not going to hard for too long. Seniors need to learn how to listen to their bodies and heed signals of specific pain during exercise or of feeling lethargic after an exercise session. These are signs that they need to cut back and take a rest.
Recognize pain - the senior athlete needs to be able to differentiate between “good” and “bad” pain. Good pain is muscle soreness that typically develops after starting a new exercise program or an increase in exercise intensity. This soreness is not severe, does not involve a joint, and lasts 2 weeks or less. Bad pain is felt in a joint or tendon and typically stems from overload of the injured tissues. The senior athlete must find an alternative activity during recovery from this sort of pain.
Flexibility - If an athlete has good flexibility, he or she is able to use muscles through the full range of motion, and this cuts down on injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A regular stretching program promotes flexibility and muscle elasticity.
Resistance training increases bone density, which delays osteoporosis, and improves muscle strength which helps correct joint instability or imbalance that can lead to injury.
The bottom line is that the frailty generally associated with aging is due to lack of exercise more than old age. Strength, muscle mass, and bone density can all be increased by exercising regularly, using moderation, recognizing pain, lifting weights, and stretching - all of which also help prevent overuse injuries in senior athletes.
Fall and Injury Prevention is a very timely and serious issue. Working within the well-organized New Mexico Aging Network, New Mexico Senior Olympics has launched a three-part effort to increase awareness and educate seniors on Fall and Injury Prevention.
Workshops - To assist seniors in increasing their activity level safely, the Senior Olympics state office has sponsored Balance Workshops for 25 participants from five different communities. Classes were held in Los Alamos and concluded June 3, 2005. Pauline Schneider, Balance Curriculum Specialist, will be instructing those at risk of falling or have fallen. The curriculum will include strength training and regular exercise, making the home safer, reviewing personal medication with a health care provider, and the important role of vision in fall prevention.
Treks - Fall Prevention received special emphasis at the New Mexico Senior Olympics Treks to Healthy Fitness. The Senior Treks to Healthy Fitness are a year round Health Promotion project geared toward education and activity for adults over 50. By sponsoring 8-10 Trek events each year over 1000 New Mexico Seniors are provided free health screening, Fall Prevention Workshops, sport training, and health education workshops by health and fitness professionals. Fall Prevention Workshops included complimentary balance kits for participants to take home and practice with.
In addition to the seminar and the Treks, New Mexico Senior Olympics sponsored Lupita Martinez of Santa Fe Senior Programs and Dr. June Decker, professor emeritus of WNMU to attend specialized training in Chicago, IL. These two professionals will be able to develop local Fall Prevention programs in other New Mexico communities. This year these programs were held in April and May 2005. New Mexico Senior Olympics and the Department of Health currently are discussing plans to expand these opportunities next year.
New Mexico Senior Olympics is dedicated to providing communities across the state, utilizing 31 game sites, with assistance in providing senior adults, 50 years of age and older, opportunities of healthy and active lifestyles. New Mexico Senior Olympics promotes year-round programs that are designed to promote dignity, maintain independence and build knowledge and skills in order to help older adults make informed choices about life and health issues both for themselves and as members of their communities.
Sources: Treating Injuries in Active Seniors. Warren A. Scott, MD and Gerald Secor Couzens. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, . Vol. 24 - No. 5- May 96.