Southern Maine physical therapists offer suggestions to prevent falls

Roughly 25 percent of adults age 65 or more who live at home are projected to fall during the next 12 months, according to a published article by a Southern Maine rehabilitation facility.

Consequences of falling could be as minimal as a bruised ego to as serious as fractured bones. The causes of falls typically correlate with the effects of advancing in age, states the column by Downeast Rehabilitation Associates of Rockland, cited in the Waldo Village Soup.

Should serious injuries occur as a result of a fall, caregivers holding physical therapy jobs can be of important assistance. They also may be of service prior to falls as a method of addressing issues with balance. Physical therapists also can be of help for chronic falling.

Three factors play significant roles for people to maintain their balance: Vision, an internal sense of orientation and canals in the ear that hold fluid that inform the brain and eyes regarding gravitational pulls.

The pace of growth in the physical therapy industry is projected to develop more rapidly than average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.