Get your legs fit, improve your balance, avoid risky behaviors, and develop a safe environment. In fact, just doing this is an excellent exercise. Place your hands on a solid table or chair, bring your better leg forward under your chest, push down and stand up. Roll over on your stomach, then onto your knees. Make your dog obey only walking on the left side and next to you, never pulling. I often see people being dragged by their dog, like it’s the Iditarod. The trick is for you to walk your dog, not the reverse. It was just a flat road but he ran around my leg, tripping me flat on my face when his leash caught. My last fall was when walking my son’s dog. Maintain a good and ready supply of salt and sand leading outside. Use nightlights in bedroom, lamps next to bed, and a flashlight next to the bed. Good lighting is critical throughout the home. Many homes have 2-3 stairs to change levels put handholds on the wall. Stairs should have banisters on both sides. Bathrooms are prime areas for falling so keep non-slipping mats for shower and floor. Many people love throw rugs throw them away. Keep clutter off the floor, especially in the bedroom. Don’t even give yourself the option of wearing them.Īnalyze your environment. When getting out of bed, sit up and wait to adjust to the new position. You may love your old worn shoes, but throw them away. When carrying objects downstairs, leave one hand on the railing. Wear them every time the sidewalks are slippery. Winter is here so keep a pair of shoes with spikes next to the door. As you get better, try different positions. Remove your hand and try to slowly increase the duration. Place your hand on a sturdy table or chair and lift one leg off the floor. Playing games that require quick movements is great.īalance training requires that you put yourself in an unbalanced position. Falls happen quickly, so try to do some quick exercises like skipping and jumping. Trail walking involves an unconscious adjustment of our neuromuscular system to maintain balance. I highly recommend walking up and down on trails. Try walking on uneven surfaces such as lawns or fields. Walking is an excellent and common exercise, but most people only walk on flat surfaces. Take the stairs if you can, occasionally try to take two at a time, keeping your hand on the railing. A reasonable goal is about 30 squats done 3-5 days a week. Put your hands on a table or sturdy chair, squat down, keeping your heels on the floor, back straight, until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Squats require no equipment and are easy to do in your home. Good leg strength is one key to fall prevention. Regarding strength, your primary focus should be the lower body. Since most falls occur in the home, we can improve our environment to avoid unnecessary hazards. We need to accept the position that falling is a possibility and choose behaviors that reduce risk. Improving strength and balance reduces the incidence of falling about 50%. We can maintain or improve our physicality, not only to prevent falling but also to enhance life in general. Even the fittest lose balance and strength as we age. A misstep on a dog chew toy can end up with anyone face down on a coffee table. Most people over 65 fall once a year, but everyone falls. For many elderly, a fall and subsequent injury is the catalyst, the trauma that breaks them. Their falls, each resulting in a fracture, didn’t kill them directly, but the days in a rehabilitation clinic followed by weeks of recovery led them on a slow downward spiral of dysfunction until they died. My grandfather still worked full time in his grocery store and my friend retired from teaching but still worked seven days a week in his office. I have lost two people whom I loved because of falls.
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