Older Americans Fall Sometimes

To the Editor: 
Who has not fallen? Standing at the top of steps without a light at the bottom may be dangerous for an older person. For Older Americans Month this May, I would like to share a little of what I’ve learned on managing concerns about falls. 
According to the AARP Bulletin this April, in New Jersey, 30 people had fatal falls in 2015. Personally, I snapped a tendon on one of my fingers when I lost my balance, had surgery, and still did not get a straight finger.
Many people fear falling rather than taking their time to avoid distractions. For even the act of reaching to the top of a cabinet in the kitchen, caution is advised.
In February 2016, Bonnie Kratzer at Cape Regional Medical Center contacted me through my church parish nurse. My church nurse and I took training with 10-12 other potential coaches to bring the program, A Matter of Balance, to our various groups. My parish nurse and I coached in spring, last year, for an eight-week course. We discussed positive interactive awareness of hazards not to fall.
Exercises, yes, one ought to take precautions in physical fitness by regular stretching, balance, and range of motion exercises.
Getting up if one falls is also a concern. Over 10 years ago, I broke a wrist by slipping on black ice. We were taught in the course that it is better to try to break one’s fall by reaching out a hand rather than getting a concussion or breaking a hip.
The final recognition my parish nurse and I received at the end of eight weeks of volunteering, was a beautiful bouquet of flowers for each of us with which one of the group participants gifted us.