Change

We are told that the only constant in life is change, we are told that change is good for you. Change creates opportunities. 

Many of us spend our lives trying to change others and mould them to be more like we want them to be. Change can be dramatic, it can be subtle, it can be exciting, or it can be boring. We know that we can change a great many things, and still not be satisfied.

Here is a thought, perhaps you might want to give up on changing things around you and change yourself. If you can change, then the things around you will change. If the things around you change, and you change, maybe your world will be better. 

As you are in your final adventure why not give changing yourself a try? It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Fall prevention is up to you

Did you know that falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults and the most common reason for hospitalization of older adults in Canada? More than 95 percent of hip fractures are caused by falling. 

The good news is that falls can be prevented. Be proactive by doing strength and balance exercises to improve strength, mobility and endurance. Evaluate risks around the home to help identify ways to make it safer (for example; grab bars, or a chair on a rail to go up and down stairs).

It turns out that exercise – alone or in combination with other strategies – can help reduce the chance that older adults living in the community will fall.

For older adults, the risk of falling is very real. In 2010 it was reported that a staggering 256,011 people reported a fall-related injury.

There are several causes that may contribute to the risk of falling in older adults including chronic conditions, balance problems, poor vision, cognitive impairment, side effects from medications, improper footwear, and previous falls. Even walking can be risky, with many fall-related injuries occurring when older adults engage in this activity.  The fear of falling in older adults is no laughing matter.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your feet safely on the ground. Exercise, for example, is well known to prevent falls in long-term care homes. But what can exercise do for the 92% of older adults in Canada living independently in the community?

One review found that exercise alone, carried out 3 times per week for about 12 months, may lower the risk of falls generally, and specifically falls that lead to injuries. Most studies evaluated strategies focused on improving walking speed, balance, and muscle strength. 

Beneficial exercises included tai chi, resistance training, and exercises aimed at improving flexibility. While the exercise was sometimes associated with minor pain, bruising, or fall-related injuries/fractures, it did not increase the risk of serious injuries.

Another recent meta-analysis showed that exercise alone or combined with other strategies prevented falls, and particularly falls leading to injuries. Strategies such as orthotics, hip protectors, patient quality improvement initiatives (i.e. self-management, education), and environmental assessment and modification activities, when combined with exercise, were all found to reduce the risk of experiencing a fall. 

The risk of more serious falls leading to injury was reduced when exercise was combined with vision tests and treatment. If at the same time efforts to eliminate risk factors from one’s environment were added then the risk of falling fell dramatically. 

The results of the review also indicated that exercise combined with certain strategies could lead to an increased risk of falling, as well as increased risk of an injury as a result of a fall caused by increased mobility. So there is a caveat here any risk should be balanced with the need to improve mobility.

For older adults still living at home, falling should not be considered inevitable. There are many things that can be done to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. Exercise may be an excellent option, but you should speak with your health care provider, and consider your own values and preferences when deciding which strategy is best for you.

Your last adventure

As we start on our newest adventure, we should take some time to think that for every physical adventure, besides the possibility of reward, there's the possibility of loss. We have, before we start, weighed the odds, and determined that the risk of success outweighs the risk of failure. That's what makes it an adventure. 

What makes starting on a spiritual journey different is that for every spiritual journey, there's only gain. Once we realize that we gain more confidence in our spiritual journey and know we are not going to fail. Our spiritual journey, we believe will make us a better person. We believe this no matter how far along the journey we progress.

But for some knowledge that they will be successful in this journey totally spoils their adventure. People are interesting as some of us love the idea that there is a risk of failure to add to our sense of adventure and some will not embark on a journey if we are guaranteed a success. However, just a reminder that all physical adventures are really spiritual adventures, that many of us forget. Everything you do makes you more, interesting is it not?

As you think about retirement, think of it as a new physical adventure as well as a spiritual journey. By doing so, this may reshape how you plan for retirement. If we think of retirement as only a physical adventure or journey, we prepare by making sure we have saved enough for our physical needs, do we have money for shelter, food, medical expenses, luxuries like travel, hobbies and friends. We worry if we think we don’t have enough.

However, retirement is also a spiritual journey but one that many of us do not prepare for, as we work. Once we retire, we move from being an important person at work to just a person. We are also moving toward the last phase of our life, without adequate preparation for making peace with others and knowing how to say goodbye. This lack of preparation is one that does not hurt us until the last stage of retirement, and when the realization that we are unprepared hits us, it may be too late. So, as you prepare for retirement consider both your physical and spiritual needs.

We can learn from children

Here are a few techniques learned from children that will help anyone take their game, or their life, to a whole new level:

1. Once a day playfully imagine that you're already there.
2. Frequently speak in gratitude as if you've already arrived.
3/ Keep practising until you master the thing you are trying to do.
4. When you get discouraged imagine that you are finished.
5. Be surprised at everything that is new
6. Appreciate your friends
7. And, every now and then, physically do something you never would have done at the old level... like praise yourself, reward yourself, or cluck a few times with thumbs under your arms.