Elderly Women Prefer Death to Suffering a Hip Fracture

Speaking at the 7th International Conference of the Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders (SCWD), Professor Maria Fiatarone from the University of Sydney presented her research on "muscle wasting, exercise and hip fracture."

As a specialist in human aging, Maria kindly takes us through her findings, emphasizing the importance of physicians recognizing the multi-faceted challenges faced by a patient following a hip fracture and how previous attempts to focus just on bone fail to recognize that while thinning bones (osteoporosis) render the skeleton prone to fractures, it's the gradual erosion of lean muscle (sarcopenia) and ensuing frailty that leads to the falls.

Perhaps quite sobering is the shocking statistic that 80 percent of women would prefer death than suffer a hip fracture and enter a nursing home due to a loss of independence.

Thankfully, your best defense against falls and possible hip fracture is to simply maintain the strength and stability of your leg muscles through regular strength training. A task that can be easily incorporated into your daily routine.