The risks I take nowadays are nothing I would have considered risky in my younger days. The most dangerous risk I took recently occurred a few months ago when I climbed a ladder to replace my smoke alarm batteries. The risks of such a venture for older folk are real. If you fall when you’re young, you get up, brush yourself off, and continue as if nothing happened. If you fall when you’re old, it could change your life since breaking a hip or some other body part makes living alone problematic.
Luckily, I managed to change the batteries without mishap. Will I try to change the batteries again? I don’t know. Most people I know who would help are as old as I am or even older, and those I know who can still climb ladders are people I’m uneasy about having in my house. I’m not scheduled to change the batteries again for a few months, so maybe I’ll meet someone young enough or tall enough who will do it for me.
Other risky behavior is not something I can avoid by having someone else do it. Getting out of bed in the morning, for example. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But the truth is, many older people stand up too quickly, get dizzy, and end up falling. Or they are awakened by their alarm clock, get disoriented, and get up without pausing to orient themselves. Such silly things to be so dangerous! I’ve gotten in the habit of sitting on the side of the bed for a minute before rising, which does mitigate the danger, but still, it’s a very real risk.
Even sillier, though perhaps not as dangerous, is staying in bed. Gravity works to pull joints out of whack, loosens ligaments, and does other nefarious things. I never had problems with my knees until I got up one day a few years ago and could barely walk. It took months of rest, ice, heat, and the proper exercises to get me walking again. I’m still not back to where I was. Even though I’m careful when I’m awake and careful about how I position myself in bed, I can’t control what happens when I am asleep.
I’m not even going to get into the whole shower thing, which is perhaps the most dangerous activity people can do. I’ve minimized the risk with a step-in shower and railings, which help. And so will the bath chair I can see in my future.
I suppose working in my garden could be classified as a risk because the last couple of times I’ve fallen have been when I was outside working. Somehow, garden work doesn’t seem to be as dangerous as the risky behavior listed above, but being outside, especially when I’m concentrating on something other than where I place my feet, has its perils.
Life sure does narrow when one gets older! Still, we all take risks anyway because there’s no other choice. The best we can do is to be careful and to pay attention to what we are doing.
***
Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One.
Bertram's Blog 
Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear what you have to say.