{"id":7318,"date":"2023-06-14T11:01:12","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T15:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=7318"},"modified":"2023-06-14T11:01:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T15:01:12","slug":"watch-your-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2023\/06\/watch-your-step\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch Your Step"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, Senator Mitch McConnell, 81, tripped and fell in the Washington, DC, Waldorf Astoria, putting falls back in the headlines. McConnell was left with a concussion and a broken rib, and he will need rehab before returning to work. It\u2019s not the first time he has broken bones in a fall; he had a serious shoulder injury in 2019. <\/span><\/p>\n

No matter how powerful we think we are, none of us are immune to falling.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are several reasons why older people become more susceptible to <\/span>it.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Decline in physical function: As we age, many of us become less agile and less able to maintain balance. This decline can be due to decreased muscle strength, joint stiffness and reduced reaction time.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Vision problems: Worsening eyesight affects our ability to see and avoid hazards<\/span>,<\/span> such as uneven surfaces and obstacles. <\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Medication side effects: Taking multiple medications, some of which can cause dizziness or lightheadedness, increases the risk of falls.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Chronic health conditions: Arthritis, diabetes, neurological disorders\u2014and so much more\u2014can impact balance and mobility.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Cognitive impairment: If we can\u2019t recognize or avoid hazards, we are at higher risk of falling.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I stick to sidewalks and paths when I\u2019m out walking, which lulls me into being a little less mindful than I should be. I often don\u2019t pick up my feet as I should, and I feel my heavier walking shoes catch on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

    As we age, it is important to take action to reduce our risk of falling. Staying active, getting regular vision and hearing checkups, reviewing medications with a health care provider<\/span>,<\/span> and modifying your home environment can help you reduce hazards. And for heaven\u2019s sake, do as I say, not as I do: pick up your feet when you walk. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Recently, Senator Mitch McConnell, 81, tripped and fell in the Washington, DC, Waldorf Astoria, putting falls back in the headlines. McConnell was left with a concussion and a broken rib, and he will need rehab before returning to work. It\u2019s…<\/span><\/p>\n

    Read more Watch Your Step<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-voices-views"],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7318"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7320,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7318\/revisions\/7320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}