Is there such a thing as Aging Well ?

 

Traditional Geriatric Medicine commonly relies on bone density as the key measure of safety, health and well- being

.... this approach misses other key barriers to function and safety

Functional Challenges for Successful Aging

 

 

 

• Fear of Falls and injury
• Medication adherence
• Weak musculature
• Gait impairments
• Disease awareness and acceptance
• Lifestyle awareness and need for adaptations
• Changing nature of relationships and social networks
• Falls that result in injury and a cascade of declining health and well-being

Traditional Medical Management of Barriers

• Bone density and independent risk factors such as oral steroid use, prior vertebral fracture, difficulty standing up and parental history of hip fracture contribute to fracture risk
• Leading bone health treatments such as bisphosphonates reduce fracture risk between 40-70% (assuming that patients are compliant with medications as they typically are in clinical trials) and can take up to 3 years to have fracture risk protection
• Fracture risk scores, such as FRAX, address clinical risk factors including BMD, but cannot be used with patients already under treatment with bone medication.
• The above assessment and management strategies do not address spine loading, spinal curvature, and falling which are critical factors in understanding fracture risk.

Why Preventing Falls Saves Lives

• Simply being over the age of 65 raises fracture risk
• About one-third of people aged 65 or over fall at least once a year.
• Balance control is more impaired in patients with osteoporosis
• Fear of falling can lead to a fear of engaging in normal daily activities

What if there was a new way to address the barriers to Aging Well?..............