Friday, March 11, 2016

Falling Friday - The Return

I had discontinued this Friday feature, but a recent blog post by Dorit has inspired me to blog about falling one final time.

In the post, she blogs about a fall on ice.  But the post isn't just about falling.  It is just as much about the healing process, and what Dorit has learned from the process.

It's made me think and I wonder if I should start up the feature again.  Here's a small sample.
Attending the wake of a beloved woman who died due to a fall.
Kindness and vision
Can We Turn the Tide?

I've known my mother in law, who is in her late 80's, for some 45 years now.  In other words, she was in her 40's when I first made her acquaintance.  Her youngest child was just starting school.

Time passes, and we all change.  So, over the years, I've seen her age and change.  And, falling has been a bit part of it.  Her first falls were many years ago.  It's only gotten worse.

The last few years have been so hard for her, no thanks to those falls she has suffered.  She has other health issues, too, but those falls may have impacted her life more than just about anything else.  Pain is her constant companion.  There is fear, too.

When she was at an age when the falling started, there weren't classes on falls prevention.  Doctors didn't screen for it (they do that now at one of the major health practices for any patient over age 80.)

You Tube wasn't full of videos demonstrating exercises.  If you google "fall prevention exercises You Tube" you will get about 260,000 results back. 

My Falling Friday feature started when I started taking fall prevention classes for myself.  I am 62 and have already suffered several falls.  Knock on wood, no major injuries.  I also hoped I could learn something I could use to help my mother in law.  From there, I realized a lot of people might be interested in the subject.

I hope that my Falling Fridays that I blogged last year were of help for someone, although I write from the viewpoint of a layperson.  I still do the exercises but I haven't progressed past a certain point.  I need to go back to the texts we were given and see what else I can do.

I've also discovered I am on the edge of osteoporosis in my hips, and my doctor has told me to do strength training.  But, then, I am let loose onto the world to find the exercise program that will help the most.  So I may incorporate some of my fight against osteoporosis into coming posts.

I think we still have a long way to go to help the seniors needing the help of exercise programs, and exercise classes.  I hope I can, in my own small way, fill that gap.

I may start up Falling Friday again, after the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge, perhaps as a biweekly Friday feature, to see what I can do with it.

Call it a personal challenge.

6 comments:

  1. I've had two work colleagues fall in the last month - one hurt her back and hip and the other broke her arm and a foot. It brings home how vulnerable we are as we get a little bit older. I'm going to be a little more careful now! I'm also doing the A-Z challenge and have started on my theme to get a jump on things! I'll keep an eye out for yours x

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  2. Great topic Alana. We all must learn at a young age how to take care of our bodies and our minds for future benefit. It's not only about the bone density, it's about muscle strength and balance. I look forward to more of your shares on this topic.

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  3. Glad you didn't hurt yourself. I like practicing balancing with my yoga poses.

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  4. Wonderful post, Alana. I'm so glad you're okay.

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  5. I tend to fall a bunch because of my bad leg from when I was shot.

    My teen son was bringing groceries in tonight and was walking over the flower bed. When he fell flat on his back. Ouch! He is a trooper though.

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  6. I thought of these posts when I fell back in January. Twisted my ankle, and the scrape on my knee hasn't fully healed.

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