Half of Seniors Reluctant to Reveal Falls to Doctors

Purestock/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) — There’s no shame in falling down, particularly if you’re a senior. The real shame is not telling a medical professional about it.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over half of the millions of people aged 65 and older who fall annually fail to tell their personal physician about it.

Penn State University internal medicine specialist Dr. Nicole Osevala says the reason is that many seniors are worried that revealing their unsteadiness is a precursor to getting put in assisted living or a nursing home. Another concern of the elderly is that they don’t want their family members fussing over them.

However, Osevala says that seniors need to get over their fears because their doctor might be able to treat the source of their unsteadiness, which could result from osteoarthritis and nerve damage or even infections of the skin or urinary tract. Some medications such as blood pressure drugs or antidepressants can also increase the risk of falls.

According to Osevala, seniors also need to recognize that they might have limitations that means fewer trips up and down stairs.

One other important point is that a fall can make older people more susceptible to another fall so they really need to come clean to their doctors.

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