Stroke survivors - watch out for falls

A recent study warns of the risk of falls - Stroke doubles risk of hip, thigh fractures:

The study compared 6,763 people in the Netherlands who had fractures of the hip and/or femur with a group of 26,341 people matched for age, gender and location who had no such fractures. The overall risk of fractures was 1.96 times higher for all stroke survivors and 2.12 times higher among women who had strokes.

The youngest stroke survivors, those 70 or younger, had the highest risk: 5.12 times normal, the researchers found.

The study was not designed to give information about the reasons for the age difference, but "we believe that in elderly patients, the relative contribution of risk factors other than stroke is higher," [lead study author Frank de] Vries said.

There are some well-known, common-sense methods to help prevent a fall - the right shoes and a cane or other assistive device, for example. If you're an advocate for a stroke survivor, or a stroke survivor yourself, take steps to reduce the risk.