When a young person stumbles, we tend to think of it as clumsiness, and at most a minor inconvenience they will grow out of. However, for seniors, this type of stumbling can actually be debilitating and even life threatening. Older people can become completely bedridden from even a minor fall. Such an incident creates depression and actually increases the chance of death from illnesses and other unrelated causes.

When a person’s balance is off, it’s usually accompanied by difficulty in standing steady, climbing stairs without difficulty and walking straight. Sometime a feeling of vertigo is present - a sense that the room is spinning. According to the issue the person is dealing with, they may be occasionally unsteady or have more trouble when standing or trying to walk.

Statistics indicate that up to ten percent of all people over the age of 65 have some type of balance disorder. Some are just part of the aging process, but others can actually be indicative of a more serious health concern. Here are a few of the more common causes of balance issues in seniors.

Inner ear problems.

If your parent seems to regularly experience vertigo, especially when tiling head or changing body position, chances are they have an inner ear disturbance. Swelling, infection inside the inner ear, or calcium stones that form and break loose are usually the cause. Most of these are benign and treatable, however hearing loss as well as other more serious concerns should always be considered. Have their hearing checked by a doctor to be sure.

Medication

Sometimes new medication can cause a balance problem. If your parent or other loved one has just started a new medication, ask their doctor if it is associated with balance difficulties. If so, it may be possible to change the prescription to a different medication without such side effects. Blood pressure medicine and certain antibiotics are sometimes commonly associated with dizziness.

Heart Problems

Balance issues are sometimes caused by the heart not pumping blood properly. The result can be that not enough blood is making it to the brain. This is an important reason to have balance issues checked out - to be sure they aren’t indicative of a more serious problem.

Poor Circulation

As mentioned above, balance difficulties can be the result of not enough blood getting to your brain; however, heart issues are not the only reason for this. Medications and other treatments are available to improve blood flow.

Be sure to contact your doctor if you or your parent has a balance problem. Let him or her know the symptoms. Depending on the cause, a variety of treatments may be used, but often these will include exercise and stretches to strengthen muscles and improve balance.

These may not solve the root cause of the balance problem, but they will help you manage the situation better and reduce the risk of falling and sustaining a serious injury.