By Daniel Fechner
In the 2018 Australian Health Report it was revealed that falls are the leading cause of injuries resulting in death. Overall, falls were accounting for 37% of all deaths in Australia.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) a fall is “an event which results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor or other lower level”.
Over 70% of falls occur in a person’s residential environment. There are many different causes for a fall, but ultimately it comes down to the fact a person is losing their balance to a point where they cannot recover their footing. Gravity takes care of the rest, resulting in a fall.
The human body operates a very complex and sophisticated system to keep us in balance. This allows us to ride a bike, balance on a ledge, get out of bed and walk through the bathroom at night, even with the lights off.
How Hearing Loss Can Increase Your Risk of Falls
The brain takes information from the feet, ankles, knees, hips and spine which then combines the information together with what the eyes see and what the inner ear senses (the balance organ). There are over 20 separate ‘sensors’ which help the brain to maintain balance.
Multiple things can affect one or more sensors of this system and the body has difficulty maintaining balance. The most common contributors include the use of some specific medications or using several at once, losing parts of our hearing (and with that also parts of the Vestibular System – the balance organ), vision impairment, muscular-skeletal issues such as strength and flexibility and other diseases, for example Diabetes.
Falls prevention is especially important to us at Ear Studio, because our founder Daniel lost his own grandfather due to a fall. In our view the first step to reducing the risk of falling is knowledge. Knowing which factors influence your balance is a great starting point.
Based on the NSW Health system we have put together a comprehensive falls-risk assessment that incorporates general questions about your health as well as high-tech measurements of your balance functions. With this we can guide you in the right direction and together with your GP, work on improving your balance and thereby reduce your risk of falls.
If you think you or a loved one may be showing signs of being unbalanced/unsteady on their feet or signs of being hard of hearing, perhaps it’s time to book an appointment with us at Ear Studio, early intervention is key to alleviate the risk of falls.
We are a small independent Audiology Clinic who are a passionate and dedicated team. We compassionately guide our patients through their concerns.
From the moment you call us, walk through the door and spend time in your appointment, our aim is to help you feel welcome and at ease. Our highly educated and trained clinicians endeavour to reach the best possible outcome for your personal situation and needs. We look forward to welcoming you to the Ear Studio family.
To learn more or book your appointment please visit www.earstudio.com.au and go to Falls Risk Assessment or call us on 02 9159 6122.
