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One major thing you have to worry about with octogenarians is falls. There are all sorts of injuries related to falls but the worst one is to break a hip. It ca

One major thing you have to worry about with octogenarians is falls. There are all sorts of injuries related to falls but the worst one is to break a hip. It can happen very easily. When old folks break a hip, it sets off a chain of consequences that are really, really bad for their health and quality of life. To begin with, it immediately requires hospitalization and major surgery. Then, a period of immobilization starting with a "short term" stay in a nursing home followed by weeks of rehabilitation. During all that time, they're susceptible to many different complications. It's basically the beginning of the end for many. This happened to my mother. In the course of 3 years: broken hip, stroke, and UTI followed by near-fatal sepsis (which precipitated dementia). After all that she lost the ability to walk and we had to put her in a skilled nursing facility for the rest of her life. Best thing you can do is to make sure you get advice from an elder-care attorney about end-of-life problems and financial planning. There can be dire financial consequences for the family if any money is transferred from the elderly to family members within 5 years of going on medical assistance (thanks to George W Bush's "deficit reduction act" of 2005).

ta93754829 5y ago
i just want to say, I concur with this sentiment. A fall and "simple broken hip", unfortunately is usually the beginning of the end. Sadly I've witnessed it several times. It just kicks off a chain reaction of events that leads to most old people not coming back from it.
dsizzle 5y ago
Yes, a fall also was the beginning of the end for my uncle. My mom also had a (non-hip-related) fall and that resulted in a hospital and nursing home stay (fortunately she seems to have recovered for the most part). I read this illustrated aging-parent-focused autobiography lately https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/13/cant-we-talk-about-something-more-pleasant-review-roz-chast-hilarious https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/13/cant-we-talk-a... (by Roz Chast, a New Yorker cartoonist) and it was very much about these issues, and her mom had several falls as well.
- nikisweeting 5y ago
  There are auto-inflating airbag belts that protect the hips for seniors during falls. I think the tech started in motorcycle racing then became available for cyclists, and is finally available for seniors now. Here's one company I found but I think there are others offering solutions too: https://en.helite.com/hipguard/ https://en.helite.com/hipguard/
  - dreamcompiler 5y ago
    This looks like an interesting product but how do you get them to wear it consistently? Half the problem in hip fractures is mentation: Many elderly people have decreased balance, decreased pain sense, and decreased muscle strength. And yet they're not cognizant of any of this, so they continue to try to behave the way they did 20 years ago and of course they fall. Getting them to become aware of their limitations would prevent a lot of falls but it is very difficult. I'd expect that getting them to wear this belt would be similarly difficult.
    - nikisweeting 5y ago
      I think it's definitely a struggle, but if my choice were to move into a care home or wear this, I'd choose wearing the belt.
      - dsizzle 5y ago
        Yeah, and people who have fallen once already and ended up in the hospital are probably now plenty aware of their limitations, whatever illusions they may have once had.
agumonkey 5y ago
that is all true, i've seen two ideas : - western way: use tech. some people have floor detectors, doesn't avoid the fall but helps saving people early. Maybe soft floors help too - easter way: daily taichi .. so then you just roll and never fall
- antoniuschan99 5y ago
  My grandmother who lived to her mid 90s did a lot of arm exercises to get the blood circulation going. She would stand up and just fling her arms up and down. Saw this earlier this year (it's a body airbag for old people in case they fall. Invented by a Chinese so eastern way haha), reminds me of the bike helmet some Swedes demonstrated a few years back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9W6wNfzsIE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9W6wNfzsIE
  - agumonkey 5y ago
    honestly it's pretty awesome to see this prototyped.. i dont know how it will be received and sold but it's super useful I also thought we should have cushioned sports area for 60+ places you can just try shit and never fear shocks

ta93754829 5y ago

i just want to say, I concur with this sentiment. A fall and "simple broken hip", unfortunately is usually the beginning of the end. Sadly I've witnessed it several times. It just kicks off a chain reaction of events that leads to most old people not coming back from it.

dsizzle 5y ago

Yes, a fall also was the beginning of the end for my uncle. My mom also had a (non-hip-related) fall and that resulted in a hospital and nursing home stay (fortunately she seems to have recovered for the most part). I read this illustrated aging-parent-focused autobiography lately https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/13/cant-we-talk-about-something-more-pleasant-review-roz-chast-hilarious https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/13/cant-we-talk-a... (by Roz Chast, a New Yorker cartoonist) and it was very much about these issues, and her mom had several falls as well.

nikisweeting 5y ago
There are auto-inflating airbag belts that protect the hips for seniors during falls. I think the tech started in motorcycle racing then became available for cyclists, and is finally available for seniors now. Here's one company I found but I think there are others offering solutions too: https://en.helite.com/hipguard/ https://en.helite.com/hipguard/
- dreamcompiler 5y ago
  This looks like an interesting product but how do you get them to wear it consistently? Half the problem in hip fractures is mentation: Many elderly people have decreased balance, decreased pain sense, and decreased muscle strength. And yet they're not cognizant of any of this, so they continue to try to behave the way they did 20 years ago and of course they fall. Getting them to become aware of their limitations would prevent a lot of falls but it is very difficult. I'd expect that getting them to wear this belt would be similarly difficult.
  - nikisweeting 5y ago
    I think it's definitely a struggle, but if my choice were to move into a care home or wear this, I'd choose wearing the belt.
    - dsizzle 5y ago
      Yeah, and people who have fallen once already and ended up in the hospital are probably now plenty aware of their limitations, whatever illusions they may have once had.

agumonkey 5y ago

that is all true, i've seen two ideas : - western way: use tech. some people have floor detectors, doesn't avoid the fall but helps saving people early. Maybe soft floors help too - easter way: daily taichi .. so then you just roll and never fall

antoniuschan99 5y ago
My grandmother who lived to her mid 90s did a lot of arm exercises to get the blood circulation going. She would stand up and just fling her arms up and down. Saw this earlier this year (it's a body airbag for old people in case they fall. Invented by a Chinese so eastern way haha), reminds me of the bike helmet some Swedes demonstrated a few years back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9W6wNfzsIE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9W6wNfzsIE
- agumonkey 5y ago
  honestly it's pretty awesome to see this prototyped.. i dont know how it will be received and sold but it's super useful I also thought we should have cushioned sports area for 60+ places you can just try shit and never fear shocks