For Older People, Shoes Goeth Before
a Fall
(March '98) - Shoes may seem something of a pedestrian
subject but the shoes that older people choose are being
accused of increasing their risk of falls and injuries.
What's new, you ask? They shouldn't be wearing high heels
at their age anyway. No wonder the elderly are always
falling down!
Older people should show a little sense and wear sturdy
shoes, you say. Old-fashioned Oxfords, loafers, or
athletic shoes. They're safer, aren't they? Well, the
answer seems to be "No!"
A new study has shown just the opposite. Fully two-thirds
of older people who fall are wearing those old-fashioned
Oxfords, loafers, or athletic shoes. The study by Dr. Carol
Frey, director of the Foot and Ankle Center at Orthopedic
Hospital in Los Angeles, was presented recently at a
meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Dr. Frey studied 185 men and women over 55 who had fallen
and injured themselves during a one-year period. Among
those 65 and older, shoes were frequently at fault for the
falls that resulted in the injuries. Avoiding a fall may be
as simple as changing your shoes.
Dr, Frey's study is the subject of an article by the health
writer Jane E. Brody entitled "When the elderly fall,
shoes may be at fault" published in The New York Times
(Feb. 24).
Athletic shoes are the new wave (or swoosh) in footwear for
all ages, including what the French call "le troisieme âge"
(the third age). Specifically, how did sneakers fare in
Dr. Frey's study? Not too well. Sixty percent of those
wearing sneakers when they fell said they fell because
their shoes "caught or dragged" on the floor and 40 percent
said their athletic shoes were "too slippery."
What shoes should older people wear? The recommendations
for older people from Dr. Frey and other experts, according
to Jane Brody, are as follows (taking the negatives first):
- Never wear shoes with slippery soles.
- Never wear shoes with worn soles.
- Never wear shoes with smooth leather soles.
- Never wear shoes with smooth plastic soles.
- Never wear athletic shoes with synthetic soles.
(They can be very slippery).
- Never wear ill-fitting shoes.
- Never wear loose slippers. (Slippers are easy to put
on, but make sure they fit).
- Beware of shoes with big rubber nubbins on the sole.
(They can catch on carpets, especially when worn by people
who barely pick up their feet when they walk).
- Beware of the rubber tips on the toes of running
shoes. (They, too, can catch on carpets).
What shoes do experts recommend for older people? (For the
sake of safety, senior citizens should not go have to go
shoeless!) The experts' positive recommendations are as
follows:
- Consider walking shoes for all-around shoes.
- Select shoes that provide good traction.
- Select shoes that provide support (but not with
heavy soles or rubber over the toes).
- Select shoes without too much cushioning (which can
destabilize an older person).
- Select shoes that tie rather than those that slip on
the feet. Laced shoes can be adjusted to accommodate
swelling of the feet (and orthotics-supports and
braces).
- "For those who lack dexterity," Jane Brody suggests,
" consider replacing cloth laces with elastic ones that
hold the shoe firmly on the foot, but stretch enough to
allow shoes to be slipped on and off without tying or
untying the laces."
- And we would add, shoes with velcro closures are
just as good for older people as they are for young kids.
Velcro is easy to close, adjust, and open.
To catch your attention, we started this report with a play-
on-words-"Shoes may seem something of a pedestrian
subject...."-for which we now abjectly apologize. This is
not at all a pedestrian topic.
Falls cause some significant injuries, as we all know.
Among them, broken hips.
Fall and break a hip and you have one chance in five of
dying within a year That risk is on top of whatever chance
you already had of dying that year!
The proverb states that "Pride goeth before a fall." For
older people, shoes may goeth before a fall (and the same
may be true for everyone). Shoes are a serious subject.
Last Editorial Review: 12/31/1997
