Retirement living healthiest when social


The former director of a retirement living facility claims that an elderly person's environment can have an impact on his or her physical health.


Elaine Gallagher, once the director of the Center on Aging at the University of Victoria in Canada, said that the aged are more likely to get hurt when they keep to themselves.


"It's when people get isolated, stay indoors, (that) the fall risk increases dramatically," Gallagher told the Ottawa Citizen.


Retirement living healthiest when social


One in four Canadians who break their hip after age 50 die within five years, according to an osteoporosis study from the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) cited by the newspaper's website.


Gallagher says that seniors who remain active maintain their strength and are therefore less likely to be injured due to accidents such as falls, according to the report. Furthermore, the strength they take from social past times lets them lead a longer life altogether.


Osteoporosis Canada claims that 2 million Canadians suffer from osteoporosis. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of the disease include back pain, loss of height over time and stooped posture.


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