Explore why cardiovascular disease is recognized as a key factor in falls among older adults in our latest blog post. Learn about the link between cardiovascular health and fall risk, and discover strategies to reduce these risks and improve safety for seniors.

The Link Between Cardiovascular Health & Falls

From 60+ years and over, the risk of falling increases due to the escalation of age-related diseases, and so, it is in our best interest to understand which categories of cardiovascular disease can increase our risk, the reasons why our risk is increased followed by fall prevention strategies that could save us from an injurious fall.

Overview - Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a class of diseases that affect the structure or function of the heart or blood vessels, causing mild to severe symptoms for the patient depending on their condition.

Common disorders that are connected to an increased risk of falling are as follows: 

1. Cardiac Arrhythmias (also known as an irregular heartbeat)

2. Orthostatic Hypotension (a disease that affects blood pressure)

3. Structural Heart Disease (due to wear and tear of the heart)

Each of the disorders above may cause dizziness, loss of sight, light headiness which may affect walking and balance, and in some instances, can lead to loss of consciousness.

How to Protect Yourself From an Injurious Fall?

Depending on the severity of your condition, you may need to prepare fall prevention strategies which can be found in our Fall Prevention Guide.

In some more severe cases, head protection may be vital for protecting the person from a fatal fall. To see if head protection is needed in your situation, you can check out our Guide to Protective Headgear.