@normahorn Thanks for your comment. Unless or until I cannot judge how I feel for myself I am offended by “good intentions”.
Like you I use whatever aid I feel I need but lately I keep hearing from people who think they know better than I do what assistance I need.
I have used a cane for a couple of years whenever I know I will have to walk more than I can comfortably or if the terrain is uneven.
And, thanks for acknowledging the simple brilliance of the idea of wearing your Apple Watch to bed just in case you do need emergency help. As I mentioned in my post about that, my neighbors mother, WHO USES A WALKER, was leaving her bathroom during the day when she stepped on the cat and lost her footing and feel backwards. She cracked her head open and if her daughter had not been home it could have been disastrous.
When I told her daughter about the watch idea she thanked me and told me she was ordering one for her mother asap! And, she reiterated that the walker, while helpful, is no guarantee of not falling.
And, for anyone who assumed I do not exercise, I do. I have a stretching program I learned from a great PT at Mayo and a recumbent elliptical machine that I use at home. I will keep moving, as well as I can for as long as I can. And, I believe that until I absolutely need assistive devices I should not use them because they are like self fulfilling prophecies.
Personally, I find it pretty offensive when someone who knows what it’s like to have mobility problems assumes they know better than I do what I need in the way of assistance, especially when I did not ask for an opinion or suggestion but posted what I know is a simple and likely overlooked and simple safety idea.
Christina