Most people over 60 actively want to stay healthy and maintain independent living. The event which frequently brings this to an end is the dreaded fall, causing injury and driving home the message of the need for support. Therefore staying alert and balanced is the aim, to prevent the catastrophic event of a fall for as long as possible.
New research indicates that taking anti-depressants and sleeping pills can contribute to the likelihood of falling.
“Coming off medicines that affect the brain and nervous system, such as sleeping pills and antidepressants, improved people’s mental abilities and reduced the likelihood of falls – which cause a high rate of hospitalisation and death in older people, according to the analysis by David Le Couteur, director of the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing.”
See full article at http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-case-for-elderly-to-ditch-longterm-use-of-medication/2009/01/04/1231003848124.html
As soon as I heard this I was alerted to how relevant Sound Therapy is in this scenario. We have much gathered evidence of the effectiveness of Sound therapy not only for directly preventing falls, by improving balance, but we also know that it helps depression and sleep. It can therefore serve to help keep older people off the very medications which, if taken, could lead to poor balance and falls.
