Beware falling down, no matter what age

The morning began like all do, with a visit outside to accompany the dog on her walk. We stepped into the darkness and I saw overnight we had some freezing rain that coated the steps of the porch. With caution I stepped down and the dog tugged on her leash.

As my father was fond of saying, the coefficient of friction of ice is close to zero — which my gingerly placed foot discovered. The combination of the tugging dog heading down the inclined plane of the steps and the tenuous footing resulted in a backward fall and slide down the steps.

The dog took off running and left me crumpled at the bottom of the steps. I was bruised but nothing was broken, save for the cracked screen on my smartphone that I had stupidly placed in my back pocket.

I slowly got up, more embarrassed and disgusted than injured. I knew it was slippery and I still fell. It shouldn’t have happened.

But falls do happen, especially among the elderly. While I was lucky to not be injured, other falls are deadly. Wisconsin has the nation’s worst rate of deadly falls among the elderly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Wisconsin State Journal reported in 2019 that 1,365 Wisconsin residents 65 or older died in falls in 2016 — more than double the national average.

I’m a few years away from age 65, but falls happen to everyone. The State Journal said falls in 2017 resulted in about 129,000 emergency-room visits and almost 16,000 hospitalizations. The medical cost for Medicare and Medicaid programs — paid mostly by taxpayers — was more than $1 billion.

Bones and bodies become more frail as we age. At least I still have enough spring in my step that I bounced when I fell.

But I do need to be more careful. One of the side effects of having Meniere’s Disease and vertigo is that it impacts my balance — which didn’t prevent me from being up on the ladder this past spring and summer as I was painting the house.

A few weeks ago, I was bending down to feed the cats and I kept going down. Directly in my landing path were the cat-litter boxes. Thankfully, I was able to stop my fall before I did a face-plant into the cat litter. I should point out that some drinks of holiday cheer that evening may have contributed to my instability, but I wasn’t in a falling- down-drunk condition. However, the consumption of alcohol and our state’s fondness for drink are certainly factors in our falling-down rate, along with treacherous winter conditions.

Years ago, a company I worked for required all employees to take an online course called “Slips, Trips and Falls.” Clearly, I should find that videotraining class and brush up on my basics. I’ve taken two tumbles in the past month; the third time may not be the charm.

Chris Hardie spent more than 30 years as a reporter, editor and publisher. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won dozens of state and national journalism awards. He is a former president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Contact him at chardie1963@gmail.com.

BE OUR

G

UEST