A quarter of the aging population, 72 and older report experiencing dizziness and imbalance. With 13% of the population in Chicago belonging to the elderly, we are lucky to be home to the top leading specialists in dizziness and hearing. Both dizziness and imbalance are the top complaint amongst the elderly leading to a greater risk for falls or a serious injury.
Our sense of balance is due to the sensory receptors communicating with the brain, helping us be spatially aware of our surroundings. The body’s sense of balance is dependent on various parts of the sensory system, including:
- Eyes
- Sensory nerves
- Inner ear-detects gravity and back and forth motion
Dizziness can be the result of age-related decline of the inner ear resulting in vertigo.
There are many types of vertigo, but the most common is benign paroxysmal position vertigo or BPPV. Vertigo is the sensation of feeling off balance, like the world is spinning. (WebMD) Symptoms may last from mere minutes to hours and can come and go. Other symptoms may include:
- Feeing nauseated
- Vomiting
- Abnormal or jerky eye movements
- Headache
- Sweating
- Ringing the ears or hearing loss
No matter the type of vertigo, an association has been linked to the possible cause:
- Stroke
- Brain damage
- Head injury
- Medications that cause ear damage
- Migraines
While there is no cure all for your world spinning, there are known possible treatments. Types of treatment include (NIH):
- Vestibular rehabilitation- exercise therapy
- Mitochondrial antioxidants or CoQ10- helps rebuild cells that correlate to inhibited function of the vestibular system
- Prosthetics- pulsary devices to assist in postural imbalances
One of our expert client coordinators at Homewatch CareGivers will come out to your home to assess any fall risks, your condition, and many other factors so that we are able to create a personalized plan of care specific to you.
