Be careful out there

[lillypaddle]

or in your own home. I scared myself last night. Was bending over and reaching to the back of the cabinet under the bathroom sink, and my legs gave out and I wound up on the floor. It took me forever to pull myself up, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to. "Help, I've fallen and can't get up" isn't just a cliche' for me these days. Anyway, I'm back on my feet, but was worried for awhile there.

Where is an old lard ass emoji when you need it????

[Walleye]

1. Glad you recovered. I'm 73 in starting to worry a little about living alone

[MontanaMama]

4. I have a senior friend who is also 73.

She lives alone and we have an agreement that she will text me every morning by 8am so that I know she's okay. If I don't have a text by 8 in the morning, I will text and or call her. It gives us both peace of mind.

[lillypaddle]

9. It's good to have a plan

smart idea.

[lillypaddle]

12. I know what you mean

I can't do that to my kids, plus I'm just not ready to deal with people on a daily basis. And I'm sure they aren't ready to deal with me!

[Walleye]

13. Yes that's the dilemma. I am impossible to live with

[3Hotdogs]

16. You're not dealing with your kids. You are dealing with someone you can just text with.

15 seconds per day. No more, if you don't want to.

[SheltieLover]

2. So glad you are ok!

Check with your senior center & council on aging for free exercise classes that focus on balance. In TN they offer SAIL, an evidence based seniors exercise program shown to reduce falls.

[lillypaddle]

8. Thanks for the tip

I recently had to junk my car after someone tried to steal it, and with breathing and heart problems, I'm pretty much homebound. I need to lose weight, but loving to cook and being homebound is not helping!

Excuses, excuses ...

[SheltieLover]

14. I'm pretty much homebound, too, since covid.

Between the pandemic & living in a violent red shithole (TN) I only go to grocery store.

But the classes are online, so you don't need to go out! 👍

I've found my sr ctr & council on aging to be very valuable resources in many ways. 😊👍

There are also cd's you can buy & likely you tube freebies to help with strength & balance.

[3Hotdogs]

17. I also expect a "check-up" with your cardiologist is in order.....

[MuseRider]

3. It is scary.

It really pisses me off about myself that I let myself get this old and unstable! How could that happen? LOL

Seriously, me too. My heart stuff has caused me to go down more than a few times then the stroke so I get it and have thought about getting something. My sons are likely to give me one of those for my next birthday and I will have to be grateful and happy when in fact I will be but it just hurts when this point comes along and truly? We are lucky that we got here.

I am glad you are back up on your feet. It is scary and a bit ego smashing but then you DID get yourself back up. Are you OK?

[lillypaddle]

6. I have Alexa

and in a pinch "she" could call 911 or my son. Problem is that "she" can be erratic at times, and Wifi isn't always reliable.

I'm fine, thanks. This is the second fall I've had this year, (the first one had to do with a little too much THC) so I've been lucky.

You take care of yourself, ya hear?

[DURHAM D]

10. I don't think Alexa can call 911.

Just this morning I ran an Alexa check with siblings, nephews/nieces, neighbors and cousin given that we had not done a review for at least a year. Everything was good.

[3Hotdogs]

18. iPhone Siri can call 911 for you.

"Hey Siri, call 911."

Or get an apple watch. that'll respond to the shock of your fall and call 911 if you don't cancel the call.

[MuseRider]

23. You are in OK?

I am up in Kansas but if you are in OK I hope you are staying inside. We are at 100 with an index of 104 and it is supposed to be worse this weekend. What we are having must sound like a cold front to you. Just don't go down outside! Fall inside. At least that is what keep telling myself.
On Edit
Sorry, where you are is no picnic either. I forgot to see if you still lived there! Still the good motto is "Fall INSIDE not OUTSIDE".

[sheshe2]

5. Glad you are okay...

[lillypaddle]

7. Thanks, sheshe2

[multigraincracker]

11. Doc told me "keep moving".

I’m on it.

[hvn_nbr_2]

15. Surely someone is going to find an "old lard ass emoji" for you

But seriously, staying (or getting) in shape is important. We always hear a lot about cardiovascular conditioning but strength, flexibility, and balance are important too. Being strong enough to do pushups can make the difference between a broken wrist and a broken head in a fall. Being flexible makes getting things out of the back of those floor level cabinets easy. Before 70, I never even imagined the need to do balance exercises but they sure help now.

Somebody else on the thread mentioned having someone they text with every morning, for a wellness check. I do that with someone too. It's reassuring.

[IcyPeas]

19. there are some informative videos for this on youtube:

My mother once took a bath and then realized she had a lot of trouble getting out of the bath. some good tips to know in case it happens. The second video shows a 91 year old man showing how its done.

Glad you are back on your feet. Here are some dinosaur emoji's LOL 🦖🦕

[lillypaddle]

22. These are great

Thanks! Love the emojis, too.

[No Vested Interest]

25. This top video is very good, and helpful, though if you have had two knee replacements,

It's extremely difficult to get knees into that bent positions and put weight on them to push yourself up.
I've fallen once, and that's the problem I found.

Since that fall, about 2 years ago, I find myself more and more unsteady, and use a Hurrycane pretty much as I amble around my home. I have two Hurrycanes for my convenience.

I also use a "grabber" to help in picking up items, so that I don't have to bend over too far or often for dropped items, etc.
The one time I fell I was leaning forward to grab an insect.

I'm one of the more senior "seniors" on this board.

[Rebl2]

20. Lost track

of the number of times my parents fell at home. When my mom still had her wit’s about her she knew what to do, call 911. Then when she developed dementia she or dad would call me and I would have to go to their house and call. So far my legs are strong, but have terrible arthritis in my feet. I have had arthritis since I was nine and now am sixty-five. I learned a long time ago how to get up off the floor-not because I fell, just from getting down on floor to exercise or doing something else.

[YoshidaYui]

21. 注意してください!

Chui Shite Kudasai, please be careful!

[Tesha]

24. Glad you were able to rise!

Glad you didn’t hit your head, that makes it much harder!

Just one thing, something weird happens to me when I’ve fallen, I’m sort of stunned. It takes a while just to orient myself. Seconds, at tops a minute but golly!