It is hard getting older with complications and living alone.

My hubs has a progressive neurological condition that causes him really frightening episodes and it involves collapsing or falling. I really dont like to leave him on his own for too long.

Ironically, he lifts weights at the gym three or four days a week!

I try to prevent him from driving but this is so close and the value to the quality of his life that the gets from it is so immense.

Neurological problems are hard to diagnose or to treat. There simply is little to be done for it.

Weird that this post popped up after going missing for days.

Claudia, glad your husband has you to watch out for him.

I'm sorry you're in so much pain. Have you looked into getting an apple watch? It will detect your fall and give you the option of notifying 911. I have cell service on mine so I can call someone else for help too.

I am so sorry to hear this. Do you know the root cause behind the falls? There are so many reasons why a person may have accidental falls; I hope you’ve been able to identify yours.

After my stroke, I’ve had a terrible fear of falling here at home. I actually did fall in the rehab hospital and it was traumatic. My routine exercises always include those which keep my core muscles strong in order to keep myself upright when I have a tendency to topple., even just standing up.

My husband has inner ear issues and often gets off-balance. He has fallen several times but always pops up like child’s toy, never hurt. knock on wood. He has had therapy and medical treatments for his Meniere’s disease, which is just part of his balance issues.

So, I was wondering if you had figured out the ”why” behind your falls. Medical professionals are apt to treat all older adults, especially women, alike. I wish you a speedy recovery to your strong, confident self.

Kath (and others), please be careful and mindful of falls. you can be perfectly healthy, fit and careful one minute and have a freak fall like I did back in June. I don’t want anyone to break a hip and go thru what I’ve been thru with that. It would especially hard for someone living alone.

If you have nearly fallen in the same spot (steps in your garage?), can you have someone install a handrail for you? It’s not hard nor expensive to purchase and have one put in for jist a few steps.

I hope you find the cause of this fall and your other near falls, so you can help prevent any more of them in the future. Hopefully it will be something easily fixed. I hope your recovery is speedy both from you fall and from your rotator cuff tear.

Annie, no, but maybe a Samsung watch?

Rhizo, no, other than being clumsy and weak. I don't exercise. I keep trying but then the weather or something else, like massive cramps stop me. I am going to try and start walking again. I'll bring it up with my doctor, this morning. I have a yearly physical appointment.

OutsidePlaying, it's not just one spot, going out the garage, in my garden, in my house with nothing there, years ago while bowling, while mowing. I brought this up years ago to my doctor because I thought I might have something like MS.

I would recommend an Apple watch as well . All the older woen I know have them . The phone is good too unless you drop it when you fall and reach itl . Be careflul.

Oh Kath, please be careful with that shoulder and all other body parts. I also have shoulder problems and it is no fun. I am off to the doctor again today. The steroid shots are usually just a bandaid, not a long term solution.

I try to take advice from women that are making headway. One woman says she gets up every morning and gets on the stationary bicycle for 250 turns, whether she wants to or not. Then she can start her day. She does more exercise if she feels like it later. But.....getting the 250 spins in early sets her day up right. Your going to have to put yourself on an exercise schedule. Set yourself up for success. Be well kath. Take care of yourself. Get Chewie a timed feeder. Link and water Link

I have these feeders for my cats. My last cat would over eat if he wasn't served small portions...so a feeder that gave him yummy dry food, his favorite thing to eat, in the middle of the night... and water.

Plan ahead. Chewie will be fine.

So frustrating - and painful - for you. Sorry this has happened.

Going down steps or a flight of stairs is getting scarier for me every year, too. My eyesight is not great anymore, eye doctor is working on that, plus my feet swell and the left is numb on its left side. Wrong shoes? Nephropathy? I'm going to make an appt with a new foot doctor who hopefully will give me answers other than, "getting older isn't fun is it?" or "it's just arthritis" grrr. But all these years I have spent a lot of time on my feet, my former job, yard work, hardwood floors(? ha), etc.

Anyway, take it easy, I know for you that isn't always an option. Who's going to do it if I don't? that's what I always say unfortunately.

So sorry to hear you fell, Kath. I hope your pain has subsided and that you will improve greatly.

Rhizo, nice to hear from you!

Years ago, my endocrinologist (I know not quite her line but I really think she is probably the brightest woman Ive ever met) told me both DH and I should be stretching daily to improve our balance and make sure we didn't lose any as we aged. We didn't particularly follow her advice and I wonder if we aren't paying for it now.

We had gone wild berry picking about a year ago, something we've always done. It's a good thing we both have active senses of humor because the only person in the woods clumsier than me that day was him! My husband who has always scampered through brush and up and down hills off trail like a monkey (and he's not a small man) - the college interns struggled to keep up with him. It was a real eye opener and made me a little sad...

I am not pleased with my balance lately even if I haven't taken any serious falls. The timing of reading this odd - I took a very uncomfortable shower in a very nice resort just this morning. I have never in my life felt so threatened an a shower! It was that slippery, I was half afraid to even turn around in it to rinse shampoo from my hair.

A very simple and effective aid to keeping your sense of balance functioning is to regularly stand on one leg. A popular tip over here is this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/35QytBYmkXJ4JnDYl9zYngb/why-you-should-stand-on-one-leg

Skipped down to say I'm just seeing this now as well and I'm sorry that happened to you. Wishing you speedy healing!

How uneven is that area? What is causing you to fall? Can it be corrected?

Sooo sorry to hear about your fall. I have seen friends with torn rotator, and the pain is real and limiting. Feel for you and hope you find some answers in your year physical. It's frustrating to hear "well you are just getting older". Keep gardening when you can again, I think it's the best mental and physical therapy.

Be careful and hope it doesn'become a more serious problem in the future. Sending wishes for a speedy recovery.

While I am recovering from my sprained ankle, and still limited in what I can do bearing weight on it, I decided to check out Silver Sneakers (part of my insurance). I have tried several of their short videos for balance, strength, and/or mobility/flexibility, and find them quite useful.

There are other free videos available on line, also, if you just search (for example, "Free core strength exercise videos" ). The exercises don't have to be prolonged or hard to give you improvement! There are even videos for whole body exercises done sitting in a chair.

Raee, I signed up for them but then forgot about it. I'm going to check them out and start doing some chair yoga to begin, along with the exercises from PT. Once my arm heals and I am going to start swimming at a nearby pool/workout center. I was going to do it when I was working but I never signed up. My doctor brought it up to me when I had my yearly physical the other day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9xsYEzYNrE free balance exercises

Oh, I forgot to mention that PT has me doing some of the balance exercises that Annie mentioned - now they have advanced me to doing them on an unstable surface and have added squats and lunges. For continuing at home, they said to use a folded blanket or towel to stand on, to create a less stable surface (to improve my balancing ability and strengthen the ankles).

Do you have a stretchy exercise band? It is very useful for strengthening the ankles too - Bob and Brad ("the most famous physical therapists on the internet", hahaha) demonstrate those exercises. They probably have good advice for improving balance, too, come to think of it.

Raee, I do still have the stretchy bands PT gave me after I sprained my ankle. I've watched Bob and Brad before. I also have watched some other youtube people. Obviously I didn't do their exercises for very long.