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Carole Harris
Articles in
Keeping Well
do not
necessarily represent the opinions
of doctors practicing at
Methodist Healthcare facilities.
caused by falls. These injuries can
range from bone fractures and
head trauma to spinal cord injuries.
Whether a fall caused injury or not,
a real fear of falling can affect a
person’s desire to leave their home
and lead to depression and a loss of
function. Studies show that by be-
ing aware of one’s risks and learning
fall prevention strategies, up to
70 percent of falls can be prevented.
Risk factors for falls include
medication side effects, inadequate
diet/hydration, hearing or vision
impairment, environmental haz-
ards, inadequate balance and exer-
cise, and not asking for help when
needed. Other factors include:
●
●
Ages over 80
●
●
Risk-Taking Behavior
●
●
Alcohol
●
●
Cognitive Impairment
●
●
Gait/Balance Impairment
●
●
Other Medical Conditions
You can find fall prevention tips,
a home fall prevention checklist,
and a list of resources for additional
information on Stay Upright’s web-
site at
www.SAhealth.com/service/ Fall-Prevention .Through Stay Upright, Methodist
Healthcare also is offering free fall
prevention seminars that identify
slip, trip and fall hazards; review
how medication side effects may
cause falls; and explain why vision
and hearing exams are needed.
Dawson also offers these steps to
preventing falls from the National
Council on Aging:
●
●
Find a good balance and ex-
ercise program.
Look to build
balance, strength, and flexibility.
Contact the Methodist Healthcare
HealthLine at
210-575-0355
to find
a program best suited for you.
●
●
Talk to your health care pro-
vider.
Ask for an assessment of
your risk of falling. Be sure to share
any history of recent falls.
●
●
Regularly review your medi-
cations.
Talk with your doctor or
pharmacist about your current
medications to ensure they are not
increasing your risk of falling. Take
medications only as prescribed.
●
●
Keep up with annual vision
and hearing checkups.
Vision and
hearing impairments could increase
your risk of falls. Annual checkups
can catch many issues before they
become serious concerns.
●
●
Keep your home safe.
Make
sure your home is fall-proof as
well. Remove any tripping hazards,
increase lighting, make your stairs
safe, and install any needed grab
bars in key areas of your home.
●
●
Talk to your family members.
Enlist the support of your family by
talking about simple ways to keep
everyone in the house, not just
older adults, safe. Falls are not just
an issue for seniors.
To learn more about Stay
Upright and fall prevention, call the
Methodist Healthcare HealthLine
at
210-575-0355
.
—Continued from front page
FALL PREVENTION
SEMINAR
SCHEDULE
Nov. 17
10–11 a.m.
Methodist Healthcare System
Office
Classroom A
8109 Fredericksburg Road
San Antonio, Texas 78229
Dec. 7
9–10 a.m.
Northeast Methodist Hospital
Community Health Center
12412 Judson Road
Live Oak, Texas 78233
Dec. 19
10–11 a.m.
Methodist Healthcare System
Office
Classroom A
8109 Fredericksburg Road
San Antonio, Texas 78229
RSVP to 210-575-0355.
Art cles in
Keeping Well
do not
necessa ily represent the opinions
of doctors practicing at
Methodist He lthc re facilities.
I told my daughter this morning that my
article for
Keeping Well
was due and that
I was going to write about her. Big mis-
take! She’s at that age when I am THE most
embarrassing person or thing that has ever
happened to her. Me? Can you believe it?
When did I become uncool? I think back to
when I was her age, how I would cringe at
the thought of being
seen with,
gasp
, my
mom. Obviously, I felt
I was the only one with
this problem. It doesn’t
seem all that long ago.
Yet, here I am, embar-
rassing my own daugh-
ter. I try to tell her that
other kids her age also
have parents who are
embarrassing. Nope.
She’s the only one. I just smile and tell her I
love her. Sometimes that’s all we can do.
The tween and teen years are tough. Not
just for kids, but parents, too. I will continue
to embarrass her, not on purpose, but just
because I’m her mom and that’s what I do.
I will cherish the moments we have when
we’re alone together. We dance and laugh.
We dress up and act silly. We try to scare her
dad by hiding and jumping out from behind
the door. These moments bring us both joy.
I will continue to remind her not to pay
attention to what other kids may say about
her. She will continue to tell me I just don’t
understand. And one day, she will grow up
and realize that although I may not always
be right, I will and have always loved her.
She can then start embarrassing her own
children. Creating her own joyous memo-
ries. Through good or bad times, we must
always remember to be grateful for it all.
“Plenty of people miss their share of hap-
piness, not because they never found it, but
because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.”
—William Feather
Thank you for your continued support,
Carole Harris
Community Relations Specialist
WomanPlus® and 55PLUS®
Dear
55PLUS
®
and
WomanPlus
®
members,
F A L L 2 0 1 6
K E E P I N G W E L L
3
N E W S , V I E W S & T I P S
M E T H O D I S T H E A L T H C A R E