Enough about falling, i.e., imbalance! Everyone should learn to do some vestibular exercises as they age, because our inner ears age just like everything else. Many inner ear diseases offer imbalance as an added "treat." It's well worth it to locate a VRT (vestibular rehab specialist), even if they're not near you, schedule at least a couple of appts., and DO THE WORK! The great thing is that you can practice vestibular exercises while you're walking or moving about; they aren't something where you need to set aside a certain amount of time to do them.

BASICS: You have three balance systems. Your inner ear is your primary balance system, but, when it doesn't work well, you automatically begin to attempt to use your second balance system: VISION. This is really bad, because you'll lose your focal point every time you move or even move your head. Trying to use vision for balance causes falls, nausea, vomiting...a whole list of bad stuff. So, you need to learn to use your third balance system, PROPRIOCEPTION. Simply put, if you're standing on a headland with the wind blowing, proprioception tells you just how much you need to lean into the wind. Prtoprioception is the combination of what all the parts of your body tell you about where you are in space, especially your feet. You may think they're just stupid, but that's not the case. The simplest VRT exercise is simply thinking about what your feet tell you as you walk: check for obstacles ahead of you, then walk without looking at the ground or floor. Dead simple! You'll also be amazed at all the things there are to see! You can do this even while hiking in rough country. The other thing you need to do is to quit walking with your feet further apart (to attempt to balance). There are exercises where you stand, eyes closed and feet close beside each other, and see how long you can avoid wobbling. Then you start to walk short distances in safe places like halls or with someone beside you with your eyes closed. I guarantee you that your balance will improve, plus you'll have better eye/hand coordination in less than a month--and it will get even better after that. I've done some VRT work every single day for nearly 40 years and, in spite of bilateral Meniere's, I've only fallen twice, right after I went bilateral after decades of being unilateral.

Again, you need to find someone experienced with VRT, not just basic PT. When Meniere's became a serious daily problem for me nearly 40 years ago, there were only a handful of VRT specialists in the entire country; it was a new thing back then. So, when I went bilateral a couple of years ago, as soon as I got the monster under control I went to see a VRT specialist at the balance center in Portland, OR two hours away. Because I already knew a fair amount about VRT, I only needed four appts. to get a refresher course. After all, I had learned VRT all those years ago via e-mail!

So, please, everyone whether you think you have a balance problem or not, please try some simple VRT. Hearing and balance are closely tied; the nerves are often intertwined. One of the worst things older folks can do is rely on night lights. Instead, make certain that the path from bed to bath is clear before you retire and, when you need to make that "during the night" visit, do it in the dark until you reach the bath. When you get ready for bed, walk to your bedroom AFTER you've turned out all the lights. VRT really, really works! I'm 78 and still do very difficult instream (wading) data collection for our state fisheries agency. I've now volunteered in the same little river that runs through a very steep canyon on Oregon's north coast for nearly 30 years, and I don't intend to "retire" any time soon. My part of the river involves hiking/wading 3.5 miles upstream and includes crossing the main stem and scrambling up above a waterfall to place and retrieve a temperature monitor every spring and fall. I couldn't do this if I didn't work on VRT all the time. Because I'm all alone in a place that's miles from phone reception, I am excessively careful about wading. You will also learn that challenging your vestibular system by doing something that's a bit difficult will result in improved balance for 3-4 days, a side benefit for me of the ugly job of cleaning gutters.

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