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Walking can become harder for the elderly

Tuesday 17th January 2012

Researchers at Yale University have found a number of factors that increase the difficulty of walking in elderly people.

The study found that women were more likely to become disabled in later years and the team highlighted that a low physical activity, being hospitalised, and cognitive impairment were just a number of contributing causes to a lack of easy walking.

Many believe that losing the ability to walk for long distances can significantly hamper a person's ability to regain independence.

Whilst diseases such as arthritis that, according to the NHS, affects nine million people in the UK alone, have long been highlighted as a factor of heightening immobility researchers believe these new findings greater stimulate the causes of the condition.

Thomas Gill, M.D., part of the team at Yale's School of Medicine, said: "Losing the ability to walk independently not only leads to a poorer overall quality of life, but prolonged disability leads to higher rates of illness, death, depression and social isolation."

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written by Megan Smith