Agewell FAll 2017

But, I didn’t want to go, so, I mended
my wounds.
From then on, I was so afraid of falling
again. And my balance was noticeably
off. I felt out of control. I had never
fallen before that incident. Not even a
stumble. It was my first fall ever and it
was bad.
My son tried to help and purchased
me a cane. The short-term abrasions,
bruises, and bumps healed, but my
balance was bad and it remained off.
The fear of falling was great too and
did not subside. I’m not sure if it was
completely physiological (having to do
with the body) or if there was something
psychological (having to do with
the mind) going on too. From that point
on, I was very cane dependent.
After some time, there was a part of me
that said, “Well, I’m not putting up with
this. I’m too young. This is ridiculous. I
don’t want to depend on this cane. I’m
just not old enough.” I went back to the
senior center at Houghton Park.
Before the fall, I was taking the low-impact
aerobics class for seniors and had been to
Tai Chi as well. I started to take the exercise
class again, but with my cane. I was
so afraid of falling that I avoided the Tai
Chi class. I thought I would just keel over.
The fear of falling went everywhere with
me. Every time I left my front door, I was
afraid that I might fall.
So, during my low-impact aerobics class,
one of the ladies there came up to me.
Now, I’m out there doing aerobics with
a cane. Kind of silly, right? But, I know I
needed to do something. The cane gave
me courage to get to the class.
She said, “You know, the rec center
here offers balance classes.”
I never knew that the city offered these
classes and was glad to hear about it.
There was one being held that spring, so
I signed up. It was called, A Matter of Balance.
I started going and it was wonderful.
It made all the difference in the world.
I went once a week for eight weeks.
It was a series of classes that offered
practical things to do to alleviate fear
of falling, first of all. And then, what to
do to avoid falls and if you should fall,
how to get yourself back up again. That
was this spring (2017) and I haven’t
had a fall since that first one. My fear
has diminished. I continue to exercise
including the low-impact aerobics and
Tai Chi. I consider it maintenance.
The biggest take-away from A Matter
of Balance, that I use daily, is to
be mindful of your environment. I still
have a ‘thing’ with wet surfaces. I see
it and I go right back to that fear. To
overcome it, I call it the ‘Duck Walk.’
I point my feet outward slightly, get a
good stance, look at that wet surface,
and walk across with slow, meaningful
steps. It makes me feel in control and
confidant. I still have the cane, but I
haven’t used it in weeks. I am really
grateful for the class; all of it.
There are things you can learn that can
prevent you from falling again or falling
ever. Another thing I learned is that the
human body is amazing. If you give it a
chance, it tries to make itself all better. We
tend to give up on it too quickly. I wasn’t
ready to give up. I am happy to say that
I’m out in the community, staying social,
and keeping active. We have to.
AgeWell Long Beach | Fall 2017 11