Tai chi or dance your way to better balance as you age

The body's balance deteriorates with age, causing falls. Mind-body practices like yoga, tai chi and dance can help

- Jayanthi Madhukar

While watching a young twenty-something fitness instructor balance on one foot while tying the shoelaces of the other, I remarked that such feats were a generational thing. "Nope," he said. "That's a balance thing."

The class that followed was all about finding balance amid stumbles and grumbles. Falls can kill, not just dramatic plunges but also seemingly minor slips—particularly among older adults. A friend recently texted that he lost his 90-year-old father to a fall at home. Another's 89-year-old mother-in-law required stitches after a fall and never fully recovered. The incidence of falls in people over 65 is around 28 percent.

Dr Shobha N, neurologist and stroke physician at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru, cites several causes of falls in older adults: impaired vision or hearing, decreased muscle mass, diminished foot sensation, slowed reflexes and altered gait. Underlying conditions like diabetes, cardiac issues, postural hypotension and incontinence all increase fall risk. Some medications and vitamin deficiencies contribute too. Environmental hazards—slippery floors, poor lighting, loose rugs—are added risks.