I remember one day visiting with my step-mother and she was telling me she had been up on a ladder doing something and one of her kids or grandkids told her she was too old to be up on a ladder anymore. So, she didn't get up on the ladder anymore. I have thought about that a lot ever since. I always thought that if you can get on a ladder to do something, you should do that and stopping because someone said so was silly. I think differently about it now. Now that I am older, I can see that I have a lot more problems with balance than I did when I was younger. Now, sometimes just standing is a challenge. So, now I would say to her...."stay off the ladders".
I was sitting on the couch the other day and reached down and to the left to pick up a pill I had dropped and all of a sudden, I lost my balance. My sweet dog was standing near and as I was trying to catch myself, I smacked her right in the head and as I'm falling, I'm trying to apologize to the dog for hurting her. I finally fell on my knees and had to physically pick myself up and get into control again. As soon as I could, I picked up my puppy and held her and told her how sorry I was because my wrist that hit her was still hurting. This is a new thing for me...falling around and not always being in control of myself. We have steps behind our house and when I take the dog out, I have to climb back up the stairs and every time, it makes me nervous and I will admit that I have stumbled every once in a while.
Half the time, I wonder if all the pills I take cause some of these problems. Several of the pills I take have a little red tag that says "may cause dizziness". Well, I'm dizzy some of the time, but then again, not enough to make me go see a doctor.
Stairs are another one. I remember when we built this house and we put in a basement with stairs and an upstairs with.....you guessed it, stairs. But in the last few years, stairs are a big problem to both of us. On the positive side...it really is just about the only exercise we get. At this moment in time, we cannot get enough money out of our home to sell it and build another one....so, here we stay. I go up and down the stairs several times a day and a lot of the time, I'm carrying things that have to be taken up or down. Going up doesn't seem to be a problem but let me tell you....going down with things in your hands can be treacherous. My solution to this is to try to carry only a little bit at a time and if I can't hold onto the railing, I lean against the wall to add extra balance.
Sometimes, solutions to new problems aren't as apparent and you struggle for what to do. I think if you have any of these problems, here's a few suggestions:
A cane adds a little steadiness if you need that. If you have a bigger problem with steadiness, a walker is great to helping get around. I have used both from time to time.
Railings on all stairs whether in or out is a must, and then your job is to hang on to them.
Keep things picked up. Never leave things sitting on the stairs. I do sit things on the stairs waiting for my next trip up but when I go upstairs, I take them with me.
Keep things picked up off the floors. If you're unsteady anyway, you don't need to step on the dogs toys and trip.
Now, I know that keeping your mind busy doesn't have a whole lot to do with keeping yourself physically safe but in some ways it does. Keep thinking and seeing problems and fixing them before they become a problem. Thinking is important as we get older.
And one more thing, exercise is important. Even a little exercise is important. It may help with your co-ordination and helps your body to rebuild and fix some of the problems whether mental or physical. A good attitude and a good state of mind is always important whether you are 29 or 89 and it makes your life better. Keep smiling.
I was sitting on the couch the other day and reached down and to the left to pick up a pill I had dropped and all of a sudden, I lost my balance. My sweet dog was standing near and as I was trying to catch myself, I smacked her right in the head and as I'm falling, I'm trying to apologize to the dog for hurting her. I finally fell on my knees and had to physically pick myself up and get into control again. As soon as I could, I picked up my puppy and held her and told her how sorry I was because my wrist that hit her was still hurting. This is a new thing for me...falling around and not always being in control of myself. We have steps behind our house and when I take the dog out, I have to climb back up the stairs and every time, it makes me nervous and I will admit that I have stumbled every once in a while.
Half the time, I wonder if all the pills I take cause some of these problems. Several of the pills I take have a little red tag that says "may cause dizziness". Well, I'm dizzy some of the time, but then again, not enough to make me go see a doctor.
Stairs are another one. I remember when we built this house and we put in a basement with stairs and an upstairs with.....you guessed it, stairs. But in the last few years, stairs are a big problem to both of us. On the positive side...it really is just about the only exercise we get. At this moment in time, we cannot get enough money out of our home to sell it and build another one....so, here we stay. I go up and down the stairs several times a day and a lot of the time, I'm carrying things that have to be taken up or down. Going up doesn't seem to be a problem but let me tell you....going down with things in your hands can be treacherous. My solution to this is to try to carry only a little bit at a time and if I can't hold onto the railing, I lean against the wall to add extra balance.
Sometimes, solutions to new problems aren't as apparent and you struggle for what to do. I think if you have any of these problems, here's a few suggestions:
A cane adds a little steadiness if you need that. If you have a bigger problem with steadiness, a walker is great to helping get around. I have used both from time to time.
Railings on all stairs whether in or out is a must, and then your job is to hang on to them.
Keep things picked up. Never leave things sitting on the stairs. I do sit things on the stairs waiting for my next trip up but when I go upstairs, I take them with me.
Keep things picked up off the floors. If you're unsteady anyway, you don't need to step on the dogs toys and trip.
Now, I know that keeping your mind busy doesn't have a whole lot to do with keeping yourself physically safe but in some ways it does. Keep thinking and seeing problems and fixing them before they become a problem. Thinking is important as we get older.
And one more thing, exercise is important. Even a little exercise is important. It may help with your co-ordination and helps your body to rebuild and fix some of the problems whether mental or physical. A good attitude and a good state of mind is always important whether you are 29 or 89 and it makes your life better. Keep smiling.
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