Today, we have something that is relatively rare in Seattle, snow! Moving from the familiar East Coast, I thought we had a guarantee of a snow-free existence here in the Evergreen State. I should have read the fine print.
Last year, stepping on some black ice, I went airborne and had to get my head stapled back together. This year, I’m far more timorous. Two articles I read made me feel even more so.
- The Way We Age Now - by Atul Gawande in The New Yorker Magazine was the first article. Among other things, it discussed how geriatricans should always inspect a patients feet. The reason cited for this procedure is that falling is the most serious health threat faced by seniors. Specifically, it said - “Each year, about three hundred and fifty thousand Americans fall and break a hip. Of those, forty per cent end up in a nursing home, and twenty per cent are never able to walk again. The three primary risk factors for falling are poor balance, taking more than four prescription medications, and muscle weakness. Elderly people without these risk factors have a twelve-per-cent chance of falling in a year. Those with all three risk factors have almost a hundred-per-cent chance.”
Who knew that grab bars were so important!
- Preserving a Fundamental Sense : Balance - by Jane E. Brody in the New York Times was an article that just appeared during the past week. It presented a simple test for balance which I thought I would pass with flying colors. Basically, you cross your arms in front of you, lift one knee a bit, then close your eyes and time yourself. I thought I would be able to stand there for a minute. Instead, I only lasted ten seconds.
Deep down I suspect we all feel a bit immune. We weren’t in that fire. We weren’t on that plane. We may have been in that pileup, but just got a few scratches. We dodged another bullet. Most of us do feel fortunate because we are. But every once in a while, that uncomfortable sense of vulnerability creeps up on us.
Aging is one of those bullets we know we can’t dodge. Articles like these remind us of that reality. However, I am going for a recount on that balance test. And now I do intend to expand my exercise regimen to pulmonary, stress, and balance. I may not be able to dodge the aging bullet, but I can do my best to delay it!
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