The Older Person and Dizziness

There are variety of reasons for dizziness in the older person.

Problems with the inner ear;
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) caused by crystal deposits in the inner ear
- Vestibular Neuritis caused by inflammation of the inner ear

Migraine, low blood pressure, some cardiac arrhythmias, hypoglycaemia, anxiety disorders, or motion sickness.

Dizziness can cause symptoms such as nausea, headache and loss of balance (which may increase the risk of falls).

If a person has a history of dizziness, care should be taken with choice of apps that have visual motion. Yesterday I was demonstrating an app to a carer called "Pocket Pond HD" (free).  I have used it with great success for relaxation and behaviour modification.  It is a beautifully realistic pond with fish.  As you run your fingers across the screen it creates the sounds and vision of rippling water.  You can feed the fish, add lily pads and dragonflies.  However for the first time I found someone who didn't like it!  The carer has a history of migraine and almost immediately it made her feel a little unwell.  So it was a reminder to monitor the effect of an app and change it if required.  Some of the driving apps such as "GT Racing 2.  The Real Car Experience" are great fun, but can cause motion sickness for me!!

Pocket Pond HD