I hate writing these posts. I hate writing these posts on any day but especially at a time of year which is supposed to be merry and bright.
In the last week (one on Sunday), two people I know had elderly loved ones fall and injure themselves - in both cases, their mothers.
As I blogged recently, a co worker's aunt (age 98) fell, and the story did not have a happy ending.
Of course, you don't have to be elderly to fall. It's a concern for all of us, no matter what our age. I concentrate on the elderly because the people I know either are seniors (as I am) or caring for family members in their 80's/90's.
I've written so many of these posts over the years. Here are some of them.
Walking a tightrope
Attending the wake of a beloved woman who died due to a fall.
Kindness and vision
Can We Turn the Tide?
My mother in law fell several times, starting in her 60's. Her last few years were hard for her, no thanks to those falls
she suffered. She had other health issues, too, but those falls may
have impacted her life more than just about anything else. Pain was her
constant companion until her passing three years ago.
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 is full of videos demonstrating exercises. When I googled
"fall prevention exercises You Tube" in 2016, I got about 260,000 results
back. Today, it was 33,000,000.
I still
do the exercises (well, most of them, let's be honest) I learned in a falls prevention class I took in 2015, 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 promised I would in 2016, and I didn't.
I've also discovered I am on the edge of osteoporosis in my hips, and my
doctor has told me to do strength training. I haven't. I only have myself to blame.
So, why am I blogging about this topic again so soon after the last time? Perhaps it's because of it being the holiday season. I know what it's like to have great sadness (more than once) during that season. I don't want it to happen to anyone else.
I think we still have a long way to go to help the seniors needing the
help of exercise programs and exercise classes. COVID hasn't helped with this, either.
The words "he or she fell" are some of the saddest words family members can hear. And the fear that comes with falling (I saw that with my spouse's aunt who lived until age 107) destroys a person's remaining quality of life.
Let's all be careful this holiday season. Let's care for one another.
A fall is what put my mother in the hospital for the last time. A fall when no one was around, so she lay on the cold floor too long. She had a cell phone she was going to keep in her pocket, or right by her bed, but she didn't.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, any age can fall, and winter makes it much more likely. My son in RI has fallen on ice.
There's things I need to do for my health too, but put off.
...when I go to the doctor the nurse always ask if I have fallen!
ReplyDeleteMy greatest fear is my 87 year old mom falling or my own falling. I always grab tight onto any handrail and avoid any slippery areas. Alas, getting older...
ReplyDeleteMy doctor always asks if I've fallen - luckily it's been several years since I fell but I try to be reallly careful. Saying a little care for you. God bless
ReplyDeleteI amazes me that something I hardly gave any thought to in my youth should be so very important now! Oh, for the rubber bones and joints of my younger days. Now Im hold onto something ALWAYS!
ReplyDeleteYeah, my mother fell yep this week, she isn’t doing well, and I am worried.
ReplyDeleteOh, no! I'm sorry to hear this.
DeleteMy father's wife fell a couple months back. Broke her leg in three places (including her hip). She's walking with a cane now, but she's moving a lot slower. Healing. Slowly. Scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember when my grandmother fell and it was two days before my aunt went to her apartment because she could not reach her. My grandmother broke her hip and never fully recovered.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember when my grandmother fell and it was two days before my aunt went to her apartment because she could not reach her. My grandmother broke her hip and never fully recovered.
ReplyDelete