Walking the Floors

Mobility. However you are mobile, it's important to do it safely.

Of course most people are familiar with canes and walkers, but not a lot of people ever get the proper training in how to use these devices. I worked with physical therapists long enough to know that those walkers with 4 wheels and hand-brakes that everyone seems to have in assisted living are not all that safe. If a person has trouble with memory, they might forget to lock the brakes, and if they have trouble with sequencing, they might not be able to use the brakes properly. Because they have 4 wheels, they move faster, so the person might not be able to keep up.

My best advice: see a physical therapist to find out what will work best for you, and to make sure you know how to use your equipment properly.

Other safety tips:

• Get rid of all the throw rugs. Even large rugs can be a problem, because we had one that would not stay in place, and this resulted in Mom's fall last Fall.
• Make sure cords of any ilk (extension, phone, cable, computer) are out of the way. If you can shorten them and attach them to the wall, even better.
• Promptly clean up spills, and pay special attention to greasy or slick spills. I had my own fall a couple of years ago when some greasy food was not properly cleaned up. The floor looked clean, but it was still very slick, and falling in front of 50 people was as bruising to the ego as it was to my knees.
• Make sure furniture is placed so that there are wide pathways to accommodate a walker if one is used. Remember that furniture walking is never a safe option.
  
• Nightlights are your friends. There are lots of varieties, so you should be able to find the right type for every location.
• Carry a phone with you, or even better, install an emergency response system ("I've fallen and I can't get up"), so you can get help if you do fall.

These are just a few ideas to make mobility safer.

Where Shall We Go for Dinner?

I am fortunate that my mother is still living; in fact, she lives with me. As she has gotten older, I see that certain things have become more difficult or challenging for her, and often times for me as well. And lest you think that because I work in the field of aging I cope with her changes any better than the rest of you, think again! It doesn't matter what your job is; if it involves your family, your knowledge and professionalism often just disappear.

One thing that we both enjoy is going out to eat, but it is also an activity that can be incredibly frustrating. Let me illustrate with a recent experience:

We got to the restaurant, and there were actually some handicapped parking spaces available, so we parked. The parking lot had something of an uphill slope, and we had to walk to the end of the walkway to get to the ramp, than up a steep ramp to enter the restaurant. Mom has bad knees, so she had to hang on while we negotiated all this.

Once inside the restaurant, the hostess started to take us all the way to the back of the restaurant, so she obviously did not notice Mom's trouble with mobility. I had to ask if we could sit some place closer to the front, and she was able to accommodate this; not all hostesses will. We received our menus, but the combination of dark, romantic lighting and small print made the menus difficult to read. There was of course music playing, but I can't really say that it was background music. It was front and center music, and because Mom is hard of hearing, it made conversation difficult. I'm not sure when restaurants decided that diners don't need to talk to each other, but I think it coincided with the prevalence of cell phones and blue tooth technology.

The practical result is that there are some restaurants we just don't go to anymore. Many are simply too loud to allow an enjoyable experience. Some only have booths, which are difficult for Mom to slide in and out of. Dining out should be a pleasant experience, but I find it frustrating when I have to analyze every potential restaurant for barriers.

I have a brother who manages a restaurant, and he tells me that he is constantly struggling with the owner over lighting and music volume. I think until we all start doing our part to educate restaurant managers and owners of these issues, and on a constant basis, we won't see much change.