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A letter from an Orthopaedic Surgeon to all Elderly people (60-90 years)

I don’t advocate determination of Bone Density anymore, because the Elderly will definitely have Osteoporosis.With the increase in age, the degree of Osteoporosis will definitely become more serious, and the risk of fracture is bound to get bigger.

The elderly are more prone to Fractures. So the risk of fractures will definitely increase.

Therefore, the most important measure for Elderly people to prevent fractures, is to do everything possible to prevent Accidental injuries.

How to reduce Accidental injuries ?

There are the Twelve major precautions, that I have summed up, as follows:

1. Never stand on a Chair or stool to fetch something, even a low stool.

2. Try not to go out on Rainy days.

3. Take special care, when bathing and while using the toilet, to prevent slipping.

4. The most important- don’t try to put on your underwear, inside the bathroom, which is the most common cause of slipping in the bathroom & fracture of the Hip joint. After your bath, come back to your Bedroom. Sit comfortably on either a chair or on the bed and then put on your underwear.

5. While going to toilet, ensure that the bathroom flooring is dry and not slippery. Use only Western commode and fix a hand-rest to hold on to, while getting up from the commode seat. The same has to be done while taking a bath, sitting on a bath stool.

6. Be sure to clean up the clutter on the flooring of the house before going to bed, and take a lot of care, when the flooring is wet.

7. When getting up in the middle of the night, sit on the bed for at least 4-5 minutes before standing up. Turn on the light first, and then get up.

8. At least at night (or) even during daytime, avoid closing the toilet door from inside. If possible, have an alarm Bell fitted inside the toilet, to press it for summoning help from family members, in case of an Emergency.

9. Seniors must sit on a chair (or) a bed, while wearing pants.

10. In the event of a fall, you must stretch out your hands to get support from the ground. It is better to fracture your forearm & wrist, than to fracture the Femoral neck at the hip joint.

11. Exercise, at least walk everyday

12. Keep your weight within permissible limits.Diet control is the most important factor. Eating leftovers, is a common tendency. Feed leftovers to stray cattle. Keeping your weight in control is absolutely essential. ” Better to stop eating when stomach is Half-full, rather than eat till you reach satiety, having a bloated stomach.

Regarding increasing Bone mass, I advocate dietary supplements (Dairy products, Soy products & seafood, which are high in Calcium) rather than Medicinal supplements.

Ensure a lot of outdoor activities, because exposure to Sun (under UV light) converts Cholesterol into vitamin D.

It is beneficial to promote intestinal absorption of Calcium

Pay special attention to the non-slip Flooring in the bathroom. When going upstairs, use the handrails

Therefore, the elderly must pay attention to anti-skid and anti-fall measures.

One fall will cut short several years of life. Because all the bones and muscles are damaged

Avoid standing at one place for too long

Dr.Shrujal Shah
Orthopaedic & Joint replacement Surgeon