Old Folks and Falls

[MountainGirl]

I ride six or seven miles every day (for more than a year). But I honestly can't say the results have been tangible. No weight loss. No blood pressure change (was not a problem before, so maybe that is not unusual). No change in the myriad of blood test results. But I will continue to ride.

Good plan, imo.
Never have I more appreciated the phrase "Use it or lose it."

 

[alternative]

First guy in my college class to die was getting hit by a car while riding a bike on a military base (where everyone drives slow). I do my workouts on a treadmill in front of a TV. When you're old and on blood thinners you don't ride bikes anymore.

 

[striker55]

My 96 yo mother fell last August while going to answer the phone. She lives by herself. Banged her up pretty good on her head, face, and jaw. She has one of those emergency call buttons but didn't use it. Instead she called my sister who lives there in town with her. Sister called 911 and they got there before her. Poor Mom had to crawl to the door to unlock it for them. She is okay now, no permanent injuries. But she had some pretty nasty looking hematomas for a good while

My wife has fallen a couple of times since her failed knee replacement surgery. Fortunately she wasn't injured and I am always home. She can not get off the floor by herself.

Our Mom was falling often, never gets hurt other than some bruises. She'd call 911 and then started refusing to go to the ER. Just liked ambulance to come and pick her up. Finally my brother told her next time she fell she'd have to go to a nursing home, she was 90. Last time she fell she relented and went into a home. She didn't like to socialize and took all her meals in her room. She was not nice sometimes, at first she had roommates but they never stayed long. Finally they put her in a single room. At 94 I went to visit her in June, she was alert. 4 months later she went downhill fast, died in her sleep. My brothers lived nearby and visited her until the end.

 

[dartsinsa]

I am getting up there, but still in pretty good shape. My wife has COPD, but her balance is still good. We have her father living with us, and at 92 he still gets on the treadmill 3 or 4 times a week. Uses a cane, but more for balance. I worry about his getting in an out of the shower, so when he moved in I installed multiple grab bars.
Nie Wieder Bohren.....they are expensive, but no drilling and will attach to damn near any surface, with a 250# rating. Just carefully follow the instructions, they are quite easy to put up and look good. Kept me from drilling through tile and trying to find studs.
Next step will be a low threshold shower like we have in the Master. I expect that to be quite expensive, but dammit you gotta do what you gotta do....

 

[Double Naught Spy]

A fall a home killed my mother at 83 years old. My doctor has told me has lost more patients due to falls than any other medical problem.

While undoubtedly true on one hand, on the other hand it is most likely that most of his patients were already significantly compromised...meaning the fall that killed them likely would not have killed a person in better shape. So for the elderly and infirm, falls are common final straw breaking backs, so to speak.

 

[Tnhawk]

While undoubtedly true on one hand, on the other hand it is most likely that most of his patients were already significantly compromised...meaning the fall that killed them likely would not have killed a person in better shape. So for the elderly and infirm, falls are common final straw breaking backs, so to speak.

At 83 my mother had been active and healthy before hitting head in a fall. I hope to do as well in 10 years.

 

[dsgrey]

Mother-in-law had dementia and lived in a duplex 3 blocks away. She had a fall and said to put her in a nursing home...until she visited one. We put cameras in her duplex so we could watch her and she was falling more than she'd stated. The first fall was in November which coincided with some hallucinations so the cameras where installed. She spent a week in the hospital after another fall in March and that's when we had to employ sitters to stay with her since we couldn't 24x7. She passed in July of that year in her duplex which is "fortunately" a quick timeline for dementia patients. I say "fortunate" since Lewy Body Dementia can last for many years and sometimes decades. Her mind really went downhill in late June and she wasn't awake often by July. She was no-coded, given pain meds and lasted about 10 days.

5 years ago my mother called 911 after suffering some pain. Details are fuzzy but doctors had changed her blood pressure meds recently and once the paramedics found her (they went to the wrong house), she had fallen by the front door. Her heart had stopped for an unknown time, they got her heart beating again but there was not brain activity. We stopped the machines after a few days but still have no idea if the fall caused the major issue, whether she stroked or some other factor came into play.

 

[Tex929rr]

We respond to these calls frequently. Walk in showers are an excellent improvement. Throw rugs that can slide are another frequent issue, as someone mentioned. Also, check if an EMS crew can get a stretcher back into wherever a patient is likely to be. We have had to strap people to backboards and move them vertically. Stairs are no big deal for the young, but even two stair up or down can be a real challenge. Most people never think of this stuff until it’s too late.

We just had both of the house bathrooms remodeled with walk in showers. We are not there yet, but no point in waiting.

 

[Tnhawk]

We respond to these calls frequently. Walk in showers are an excellent improvement. Throw rugs that can slide are another frequent issue, as someone mentioned. Also, check if an EMS crew can get a stretcher back into wherever a patient is likely to be. We have had to strap people to backboards and move them vertically. Stairs are no big deal for the young, but even two stair up or down can be a real challenge. Most people never think of this stuff until it’s too late.

We just had both of the house bathrooms remodeled with walk in showers. We are not there yet, but no point in waiting.

We didn't want stairs when looking for a retirement home.

 

[MountainGirl]

We didn't want stairs when looking for a retirement home.

That was the only 'absolute' when we searched.
Now, it's a one-story home, with one step down from house to ground.

 

[SARGE67]

Good plan, imo.
Never have I more appreciated the phrase "Use it or lose it."

My chiro has a saying, "motion is lotion".

 

[Double Naught Spy]

At 83 my mother had been active and healthy before hitting head in a fall. I hope to do as well in 10 years.

I understand. My mother was 85 and had just returned home from a trip across state with my father (87) and pulled a suitcase out of the van, lost control of it whereupon she fell and the suitcase fell on top of her. That will be 2 years at the end of December.

 

[echo1]

My MIL is doing well at 89 despite hip surgery 10 years ago. What has impacted her and my wife the most was a car accident they were in, and the deployed air bags busted them both up. It's been 5 years and they're still hobbled. PAX

 

[bbbass]

I am getting up there, but still in pretty good shape. My wife has COPD, but her balance is still good. We have her father living with us, and at 92 he still gets on the treadmill 3 or 4 times a week. Uses a cane, but more for balance. I worry about his getting in an out of the shower, so when he moved in I installed multiple grab bars.
Nie Wieder Bohren.....they are expensive, but no drilling and will attach to damn near any surface, with a 250# rating. Just carefully follow the instructions, they are quite easy to put up and look good. Kept me from drilling through tile and trying to find studs.
Next step will be a low threshold shower like we have in the Master. I expect that to be quite expensive, but dammit you gotta do what you gotta do....

Bless you! ... Too many children just want to warehouse the parent(s).

 

[leVieux]

<>

Any condition which suddenly renders a fragile elder bedridden will likely kill them. We have learned to fix the hip fracture immediately and to force physical therapy.

This results in most surviving a while longer.

Of course, today’s globalists don’t want for us to “survive longer”.

leVieux

<>

 

[leVieux]

My MIL is doing well at 89 despite hip surgery 10 years ago. What has impacted her and my wife the most was a car accident they were in, and the deployed air bags busted them both up. It's been 5 years and they're still hobbled. PAX

<>

Several years back @ El Campo, a small child (unsecured) was killed by an air bag inflation when his GM’s car struck a curb.

<>

 

[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

An 89 year friend of mine fractured his wrist.

He spent time in the hospital and was ultimately moved to a rehab facility.

At about month 2 or so, he died there.

The elderly don't do well when they're injured, yes some do, but often as not, what would be considered a 'minor injury' when one is young is a killer for old folks...

 

[BRD@66]

We didn't want stairs when looking for a retirement home.

2 weeks before closing on a new, 2 story house (@ age 34), I wrecked a knee at a Boy Scout campout. So, I got that "no-more-stairs-for-me" thing out of the way at an "early" age.

 

[Razzamatazz]

I must say, getting old is not for the young at heart...your mind says go for it, then your body reminds you why you shouldn't...only thing it's usually after you do it!
I'm not as old as some of you here, and not as young as others at 66yrs.
However, I have had my share of of injuries since I was 14yrs. Dove into a river and hit my head on a rock, 24 stitches latter I had the worse head ache of my life...that was at 14. Now if I fall off the bed I'll probably break something...I'm sure most will agree, it hurts just to wake up and get out of bed in the morning after a nights sleep of doing nothing!

Hence I now try to exercise as best as I can. In 2019 I had a hip replacement, the therapy had a very good and simple exercise for balance.
It was a hard ball under a wooden plank...well not that simple, but you get the picture. Two poles to hold on to, and the goal was to get that board in a horizontal position as best as I could, and not depend on the poles so much.
At first it seemed impossible, but as time went on I was able to do it, so I built one for my wife and myself to keep our balance up to par.

I also do a lot of rowing with my rower, my hip surgent said that's what he uses and it would help to strengthen my hip, arms, legs etc. basically a full body work out. And not balance really needed so falling isn't a worry.

So far things have been good, we haven't fallen...yet, but we are extra careful about what we do. We have always had a walk in shower...don't like tubs, this started when we hit 50yr.

What I think also helps a lot is trying to stand on one foot as long as possible without holding on to something...may be difficult at first, but that's only because the supporting muscle/tendons are not use to it, it will get easier.

Also, being from Hawaii, I never walk in the house with shoes/slippers, always barefoot, even outside at times...here in TX it gets a little more difficult outside to go barefoot, but I wear slippers (aka flip flops) just about everywhere I go.
This helps strengthen your feet to help you keep your balance, you'd be surprised how much your little toe saves you from falling.

However, I've been going barefoot since I was a child and maybe that's why it's easy for me to stand on one foot...I do this in the shower as well to scrub under my feet.

Bottom line is, as you get older you need to strengthen your balancing muscles more, and sitting down for long periods won't do that.
Even if you just stand up every 15 - 20 mins from your sitting position, it will help.

I believe exercise is the key, in Hawaii I use to see large groups of elderly people doing Tai Chi, I would say to myself....self, why do the elderly need to know self defense, it's for the exercise dummy, self defense is just a side benefit.
I also think my past (in my more youthful years) taking martial arts (Karate, Aikido, Ninjitsu) have all helped with my balance and how to fall...I have a .45 for my self-defense now LOL!

So by all means...and I mean whatever it takes, move and regain some balance, know your surroundings (as we all already know) to avoid a fall...stairs, showers, curbs, in/out of a car, uneven sidewalks etc.
And try not to use a crutch for balance as much as possible, or your body will depend on it more, and your muscles will atrophy!

Our Creator gave us legs and arms to move the body, so use them!

 

[echo1]

In my youdt I was good for about an 80 foot dive. I've never jumped into a swimming hole, only dove, whether it be steep straight down, if deep, or modified flat dive, quasi belly flat, if shallow. Not any more....PAX