TAKING THE FALL

I think it was the power of suggestion.  I went to my annual Medicare Comprehensive medical exam appointment a few weeks ago and was given a handout on "fall prevention".   I read through all the long list of things to do to prevent falls in one's home and community and I tossed it aside, thinking, "It's all so obvious!  Sheesh.  Besides, I practice yoga.  My balance and agility are superior to most people my age."  (Well, OK, my ego didn't really get that carried away, but I definitely didn't think the list really pertained to me, so if I really did put words to my dismissiveness of the list, it likely would have sounded like that.)

Then this week, when I fell in my home two days in a row, I started to panic.  What the hell is going on with me???  Well, nothing that taking another look at that little list wouldn't solve.

Our home is taking on "childcare center" characteristics since we watch our little granddaughter two days a week (down from three, but still have to have all the equipment in place.)  She's walking/running/climbing on everything now so the baby gates are up at each deadly stairway to prevent her from tumbling down.  The one in this photo comes up from our lower level, where our laundry room is located.

Friday I was lugging the large laundry basket up the stairs, the one that really is too big and awkward for me to handle on a good day, being a woman of short stature.  It was piled high with a couple of loads of clothes from the dryer.  I didn't want to make two trips, so I muscled it up the stairway and got to the gate.  I don't like to move the gate because it's tricky to reinstall, so we've taken to just leaving it up all the time and stepping over it.  Easy, breezy unless you are carrying a heavy awkward laundry basket.

So, I got to the top, and started to lift the basket over the gate, throwing off my center of gravity such that I started to tilt dangerously backward.  I righted myself (thank god!) and decided to just lift and fling the basket forward and let the basket and clothes fall on the floor over the gate and I'd pick it all up once I was over the gate myself.  So the basket got flung forward, but my body followed, knocking through the gate.  In an instant the basket was upended on the floor, clothing strewn everywhere, the gate was collapsed and I was collapsed on top of it at the top of the stairs.

The list says many falls happen when one tries to carry in one trip what should be divided into two or more.  Duly noted.

Then yesterday, not as dramatic, but with the same result, I fell again.  We still haven't unpacked all the boxes we stored things in when we had our floors refinished.  I am going through them slowly to take the opportunity to do a deep clutter-bust of stuff we don't really need.  I had been working in my office yesterday, but had not finished.  Later in the evening I went in there to fetch something, without turning on a light because it was dusk and I could see just fine.  I grabbed what I needed, turned to leave the room and stepped on a metal vase holder thing.  I  rolled my foot over, lost my balance, and down I went.  Again.

The list says to always have good lighting and to never leave clutter on the floor, and most definitely not in your walking path.  Duly noted.

I am fortunate that in both cases I bounced right up, so I guess I can credit yoga for that.  My doc told me a "person my age" should get down on the floor 2-3 times a week and practice getting up.  I'm down on the floor dozens of times a week with my granddaughters and my yoga practice.  But it's a whole different thing being down there from a fall.  It's startling and potentially injurious.  I'm grateful I didn't hurt myself.  I'm going to study the list again, and not be so high and mighty with the "that would never happen to me" proclamations.  Better safe than sprawled.

At least, that's the view from here...©