How do you feel about falling?

@pacathy @ walk4life @Scott R L and others on this thread. Here's a link for some chair yoga balance exercises from Silver Sneakers. I think the exercises are good!

You are so wise to keep walking and using stairs! My sister (79) always complained because she had to walk everywhere to shop while holding heavy bags.
She lives on the second floor and hd to go up and down with laundry. I told her she was saving her own life by doing these activities ( she always held the railing).
She was recently in the hospital, then rehab with covid
For almost a month! The rehab people told her so was so fit she hardly needed it!

That's a blessing so happy to hear that- trust me I moan & groan like all of the rest of our aging crowd- huff and puff when your used to being a zenith then you have to creep & crawl it's almost a insult to your being - But when precautions aren't taken - it does not just affect you- When your laid up everyone has to rearrange their own personal lives and schedule to fit you in - that's my personal point of view - reguardless of what your age is- so as I aged went thru the whole shebang- Shingles by far the worse forever lasting till this day-RSV-Covid - I have (which is my nature) learned with God's help to be self reliant- this is just me just saying - God Bless All

@bej39 You are wise and strong @bej39! Good point- our health and overall sense of well being affects many. 💜

I live in an RV/mobile home community half of each year. Most of our winter residents are 55+. Back in November we started a structured 3X/week Chair + standing Yoga and exercise program and it has been interesting to see the progress in our group, which ranges in age from 44 to 80+.

My biggest self-awareness has been that my balance is much improved, even though I had been working on it on my own for some time - something about being with the group gives us a little extra incentive, I guess.

Another is that certain exercises/motions do not work for my body, so I have devised alternative movements to do during those. Only a few times have I felt the need for my trusty PT at home since doing my exercises 3 days a week and Yoga for 3 more days!
Sue

@sueinmn I completely agree with you, Sue, that when possible, classes with others are the best. There's a certain kind of energy and initiative that comes with being part of a group that is really hard to replicate when at home alone . I exercise three times a week with group, all friends, some of whom are in-person and others are on ZOOM. We're fortunate that there are many options these days for pursuing good healthy activities! Good for you for sticking to it and finding ways to modify when needed!

I wanted to share my experience with falls, in the hope that it may save even one person from what I have gone thru. I have broken both hips (5 years apart) while getting out of bed in the middle of the night. It can be a very dangerous activity. You're groggy from sleep, and many people take meds at night that make matters worse. We're not in propper footwear...for me it was socks the 1st time and barefoot the 2nd. Also, it's usually dark or dimly lit. I have learned a lesson the very hard way. Now, I walk myself to bed everynight on a walker and my feet don't touch the ground unless I'm holding on to it. If you don't have a walker, try a small chair bedside...anything you can grab hold of. Be careful folks! Best to all.

@maureenanne Thank you Maureen for so candidly sharing your experience and great advice. We can all learn much from the shared experiences of others!
💜

Yikes! This morning I was talking about confidence. Tonight I am talking about humility.
Have you ever heard of being cut or gashed by an UNBROKEN drinking glass?
I was carefully positioning myself to replace a Venetian blind above my sink using a sturdy step stool, when I
leaned on the edge of the sink/countertop. My knee slipped, my shin and the glass in the sink met with great force. My husband, a retired EMT took one look, bandaged it, and we headed for the ER, where I was treated to 6 stitches and a tetanus booster. The cut is a lovely arc, and now that the lidocaine has worn off it hurts like @#$%.
So risks face us everywhere, please be careful.
Sue
PS - The glass is still intact, and all blood has been cleaned from the sink, countertop, stepstool and floor.

@sueinmn Ouch Sue! What an awful surprise. So sorry. What you were doing has my name written all over it only I probably wouldn't have been using a sturdy step stool. Yikes is right. Amazing that nothing is broken except your skin! We can all learn about risks from each other!