Smart Senior

First of all I want to thank
the ladies who responded to my piece on fall prevention, and were interested
enough to ask questions.  I wish I had
all of the answers, but I am going through a period of trial and error myself.
I am not a physical or occupational therapist, but I am terribly impressed by
the work that they do.    I did work as a nurse in a retirement center
for many years so I do know that falling is a real concern.  Indeed, what does happen if your knees are
bad or you fall somewhere where you can’t get to a chair to pull yourself up? What
I can do is help you think this through.  
 Hopefully we can get other people
to share their own fears, concerns, and solutions.

Older people
are prone to falls for all sorts of
reasons.  The only person who can keep a
fall from turning into a catastrophe is you.  You absolutely must entertain the idea that a
fall could happen to you, BEFORE it happens. 
I did learn when working in long term care that you have the right to
fall.  Does that make sense?  What it means is that no one else can prevent
you from indulging in risky behaviors.

If you plan on aging in place, especially if you live
alone, you need to think about what measures to take to ensure your own safety.
  The best ways to reduce risks is to:

• Beginning a regular exercise program to improve strength, balance and
  coordination.
• Fall
  proofing your home
• Reviewing
  your medicines with your doctor
  and pharmacist to make sure that dizziness, sleepiness or other side
  effects are not setting you up for a fall.
• Vision and wellness check-ups on a regular
  basis.

Get down on the floor right
now and practice getting up (under
supervision).      Read books or watch
videos if you don’t know where to start. 
The easiest way (now that you are computer
savvy) is to type the words “getting up after a fall” into your search engine.  You will find some excellent videos that will
walk you through the process.   If you aren’t brave enough to try on your own,
take a better balance class at your
local hospital or senior center.  If you
have difficulties with balance and walking because of poor muscle strength or a
chronic illness, you can ask your doctor to refer you to a physical therapist for a one-on-one evaluation.

Basically it is up to you to
make sure that you can get up or at least summons help.  Wear a voice
of help pendent or keep your cell
phone on your person at all times. Write and tell me what you are doing to
make sure that a fall does not end life as you know it.