Falling
As you know I fell twice in the last two weeks.
I have mobility issues with knees that do not keep me very steady, wearing hip replacements, and I’m still learning to walk ‘cane free’ after about 30 years with it. (my ‘new foot and ankle’ operation worked!)
So when I start to fall I can’t just do that little jog thing to steady myself. I’m usually going down and going down hard.
My friend, Ellie, tripped recently and she broke her pelvis in two places! She’s about 10 years older than I am.
Falling is no joke when you get older. (although I can certainly laugh at myself and I still love slapstick)
There are certain types of falling I like. I love the feeling of when I was first…’falling in love’. I love…Fall! I love when things fall into place. Sometimes when I trust I just let myself go into a free fall’.
But when it comes to being older and falling on the ground…not so good
Some facts :
Falls can cause broken bones, like wrist, arm, ankle, and hip fractures.
Falls can cause head injuries. These can be very serious, especially if the person is taking certain medicines (like blood thinners). An older person who falls and hits their head should see their doctor right away to make sure they don’t have a brain injury.
Many people who fall, even if they’re not injured, become afraid of falling. This fear may cause a person to cut down on their everyday activities. When a person is less active, they become weaker and this increases their chances of falling. DANG!
One out of five falls causes a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury,
Each year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.
Over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury, most often because of a head injury or hip fracture.
Each year at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures.
More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling, usually by falling sideways.
Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries
In 2015, the total medical costs for falls totalled more than $50 billion. “ Centres For Disease Control and Prevention”
We’ve done a lot of things they say to prevent falls ;
We’ve removed many rugs that we could trip over. We’ve got grab bars by the toilet and tub. We have a railings on both sides of our stairs. We have bright lights. I wear a backpack to the pool so I am hands free for balance.
But even so I still had a couple of falls . I’m very lucky that I didn’t hurt myself more than I did. It is SO easy to fall and the older we get it is so easy to get hurt.
Please be careful when you walk. Those curbs can also get ya’.
Let’s enjoy Fall….without falling!
(Enjoy a bit of ‘aging’ humour……)
