[tranquility]

Originally Posted by wdb

Unbelieveable. This isn't a "help my dad stop falling" thread, it's a "convince me with complete certainty that a vaccine isn't causing it." That's too bad because it is a topic worthy of discussion. Unsubbing, have a blast.

LOL at such hostility, you definitely fail at science. The ironic thing is that there are MANY ppl who are convinced w absolute certainty that it is 100% not the vax. Ya, ask no questions at all and just take it. Goodbye.

[Esteban]

And I posted in here like an old guy not realizing what it was really about.

Guess I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. lol

[Gossypiboma]

Early 80's is elderly age no matter how functional he is. Thats old and falls happen to everyone as they get older. There is no medical mystery as you put it. Its surprising to hear you say "the doctors are clueless" as being 80 years old and falling is almost expected at some point.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Gossypiboma

Early 80's is elderly age no matter how functional he is. Thats old and falls happen to everyone as they get older. There is no medical mystery as you put it. Its surprising to hear you say "the doctors are clueless" as being 80 years old and falling is almost expected at some point.

Like I said, I can readily accept that but the drs point blank didn't say that and instead said they had no clue, that's the crazy part.

[Gossypiboma]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Like I said, I can readily accept that but the drs point blank didn't say that and instead said they had no clue, that's the crazy part.

It sounds like there is some amount of miscommunication because no doctor is going to say, I have no idea why this 80+ yo man fell. That doesn't make sense. They may have said they cant find a medical reason for his fall, but that's not the same as saying they have no clue why he fell.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Gossypiboma

It sounds like there is some amount of miscommunication because no doctor is going to say, I have no idea why this 80+ yo man fell. That doesn't make sense.

There may be, perhaps he has amnesia (too) lol. Like I said, I'm just relaying what I know. Anyway.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by Gossypiboma

It sounds like there is some amount of miscommunication because no doctor is going to say, I have no idea why this 80+ yo man fell. That doesn't make sense.

Interestingly the Washington Post does a medical story piece called Medical Mysteries https://www.washingtonpost.com/healt...cal-mysteries/

[Bc2005]

One other possibility is that he is developing Parkinson’s. Many people do not have the stereotypical shaking hands or head movement, but they do develop a shuffling gait with a forward body lean. This means they catch the toe of the foot very easily, and they are already in a weight-forward posture that topples them over.

Unless your father is going to a trained gerontologist, the doctors may not have the skills to determine the cause. My wife is a credentialed gerontology nurse practitioner who provided gerontology primary care. She was often frustrated by having patients come in with prescriptions or care plans from family practitioners that were very inappropriate for a person in their 80’s. Most doctors have very limited experience with patients of that age.

[Chappers 71]

My Mum started having falls & not mostly not being able to get herself of the floor back in late 2018, at the time she was 88 & living ‘alone’ in her sheltered accommodation flat. There were a few times when she’d managed to get to her phone & call me or reach the emergency cord in her flat & there were also times when I’d arrive for my daily visit & find that she’d been on the floor for hours.
After having had to call an ambulance for her a few times she was eventually admitted to hospital & eventually diagnosed with Parkinson’s at that time she didn’t have ‘the shakes’ & was in hospital for nearly 3 months.
When the doctors decided that she was well enough to be discharged she was adamant that she would return to her flat & couldn’t be persuaded otherwise.
Within 6 months she had had more falls & had deteriorated to the point that she couldn’t walk or get herself to the bathroom or kitchen & the 3 times a day care package that was in place clearly wasn’t working.
She was readmitted to hospital for a further month & I finally got her a place in a nursing home, she’s now 92, had 4 covid vaccinations & has had covid 3 times & pulled through each time, despite having being quite unwell.
I am pleased that she had the vaccinations & suspect she may not have pulled through had she not been vaccinated, two other residents that had refused vaccinations both caught covid over Christmas & both were admitted to hospital & died.
There has been a covid ‘outbreak’ at her nursing home for 3 weeks now with a lot of the staff & residents testing positive with some becoming more unwell than others.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

My Mum started having falls & not mostly not being able to get herself of the floor back in late 2018, at the time she was 88 & living ‘alone’ in her sheltered accommodation flat. There were a few times when she’d managed to get to her phone & call me or reach the emergency cord in her flat & there were also times when I’d arrive for my daily visit & find that she’d been on the floor for hours.
After having had to call an ambulance for her a few times she was eventually admitted to hospital & eventually diagnosed with Parkinson’s at that time she didn’t have ‘the shakes’ & was in hospital for nearly 3 months.
When the doctors decided that she was well enough to be discharged she was adamant that she would return to her flat & couldn’t be persuaded otherwise.
Within 6 months she had had more falls & had deteriorated to the point that she couldn’t walk or get herself to the bathroom or kitchen & the 3 times a day care package that was in place clearly wasn’t working.
She was readmitted to hospital for a further month & I finally got her a place in a nursing home, she’s now 92, had 4 covid vaccinations & has had covid 3 times & pulled through each time, despite having being quite unwell.
I am pleased that she had the vaccinations & suspect she may not have pulled through had she not been vaccinated, two other residents that had refused vaccinations both caught covid over Christmas & both were admitted to hospital & died.
There has been a covid ‘outbreak’ at her nursing home for 3 weeks now with a lot of the staff & residents testing positive with some becoming more [...]

Glad to hear she has pulled through.

[M3-san]

Is your relative taking any medications? There are several that can cause similar symptoms.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by tranquility

...except in his case, once the initial fall happens, he suddenly lost any reaction functions, and as a result fell like he got tazed (I would imagine is a close enough analogy except he was conscious throughout), so he got hurt more than he should've: bruised chest, arms, etc. This happened 3 times in the past 12 months.

Did they do a long-duration ECG to check for afib? I fell twice in a week when my afib started, and was 100% conscious yet unable to move for the entire ride to the floor. No shock like a taser or anything, though.....

[cotmfk]

I'm going to avoid most of the posts in this thread (I actually didn't read a lot of them bc it's just people arguing back and forth). Anyways, on the thread title topic - balance and strength are two of the things that go away when you get older. It's really important to try and do what you can to stay in good physical shape as you age. Not only will it extend your life, but it will extend your "useful life" - meaning the part of your life where you're still active, aware, and able to do things.

So, how to do that? Obviously, eating well is one. Exercising is another. Running, biking, swimming are all great cardio. Lifting weights (it doesn't have to be the heaviest weights in the world) helps to maintain muscle mass and reduce muscle loss as you age. Then, people often forget about balance exercises. These can be done without weights. Things like standing on one foot with your eyes closed as long as you can, then doing the same on the other foot. I wouldn't recommend jumping right into that, though, if you're already having balance problems. If you're already having balance problems, do it with your eyes open at first and make sure the area around you is ok to fall into/onto.

Best of luck. Aging is tough. As I like to say - 98% of us will die someday. I just hope that I can prolong the useful life portion of my life as long as possible.

[BMWCCA1]

Just this week:

Reeves Callaway, founder of Callaway Cars and a legend in the Corvette world, has died. Callaway Cars confirmed in an email that he passed on Tuesday after injuries sustained in a fall in his Newport Beach, California home. He was 75.

[DocL]

My father is in his early 80's and has fallen twice in the past two years. He's broken his arm and leg and needed surgery both times to have rods and screws in both. His balance and stability have gotten worse over the past ten years, even he knows it.

Two weeks ago a patient who is 82 fell in my waiting room and hit his head really hard on the edge of the reception counter. A few other people saw him fall, he said he was off balance and tripped on his own foot. I had him transported to the ER because of the laceration to his head and the possibility of internal bleeding. Luckily he was fine and the CT was negative.

For myself I have noticed that my balance isn't as good from just 10 years ago. When I'm on my boat I'm now more careful and don't jump on and off like I used to.

As we all get older we have to deal that we aren't as nimble and make the appropriate lifestyle changes.

[vreihen16]

I was talking to a senior ER nurse friend the other day, and the topic of balance and aging came up. She mentioned that there is some sort of pressure release procedure in the head (?) that cures it, particularly with elderly patients who transition to shuffle-step walking.

When I was at PT on Friday for balance therapy, I couldn't even walk in a straight line enough to pass a DUI test. I noticed that I was walking shuffle-step during the exercise, and changed over to a high-step march. Significant improvement!

BPPV (vertigo) issues aside, I am thinking that my current remaining balance issues may be a result of extended WFH that began with COVID lockdown and continued until just a few months ago. Living/working in a small house for three years with OCD psycho dog constantly under my feet, my walking gait shifted from normal steps to barefoot flat-footed shuffle-steps. I've been practicing lifting my feet when walking all weekend, and rolling off my heels onto my toes again with every step. Can't wait to see if it makes a difference at PT tomorrow morning.....

[DocOfTheDead]

Falling is a leading cause of death in the elderly. People don’t realize what damage it does. In my jurisdiction we probably get around 1000 fall related deaths per year.

[JAI///M3]

This looks like an interesting solution (maybe).

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by MichaelB1969

I don’t know about 100% but I can say that based on the fact that elderly people falling is extremely common, it’s certainly much, much more likely that this is the result of old age. .

EXACTLY.

My great grandmother lived until 98. She was born in 1898 and died in 1996. What a time to be alive...20 in the 20's. Great depression . WWII with a husband in the Army. Saw the 60's. Awesome.

Anyway, she fell when she was in her late 80's. It was at that point that I learned how common it is for older people to fall. You don't have the same reactions you did, common to have neuropathy and have numbness in your feet, your heart sometimes can't keep up with when you stand and you get light headed, and on and on. Elderly and falling has been a huge deal since, well, forever. Long before anyone was worried about vax side effects.

When you get older and you start having health issues, you really realize how remarkable the human body is. Basically a hugely complicated biochemical robot that runs on pizza, beer, wings, etc. If you've ever seen the health effects of some of your blood chemistry getting slightly out of whack, you realize what a finely tuned machine the human body is and that it really doesn't take much to make it run sub-par.

[Mason Hatcher]

I remember that before 2021 no old person ever lost balance, fell and fractured hips and and other bones.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by cotmfk

I'm going to avoid most of the posts in this thread (I actually didn't read a lot of them bc it's just people arguing back and forth). Anyways, on the thread title topic - balance and strength are two of the things that go away when you get older. It's really important to try and do what you can to stay in good physical shape as you age. Not only will it extend your life, but it will extend your "useful life" - meaning the part of your life where you're still active, aware, and able to do things.

So, how to do that? Obviously, eating well is one. Exercising is another. Running, biking, swimming are all great cardio. Lifting weights (it doesn't have to be the heaviest weights in the world) helps to maintain muscle mass and reduce muscle loss as you age. Then, people often forget about balance exercises. These can be done without weights. Things like standing on one foot with your eyes closed as long as you can, then doing the same on the other foot. I wouldn't recommend jumping right into that, though, if you're already having balance problems. If you're already having balance problems, do it with your eyes open at first and make sure the area around you is ok to fall into/onto.

Best of luck. Aging is tough. As I like to say - 98% of us will die someday. I just hope that I can prolong the useful life portion of my life as long as possible.

This is a great post. Strength straining prevents muscle atrophy and loss of bone density. It can also improve mobility and balance.

Walking, jogging, running, biking, etc., all keeps your heart healthy and works on mobility and balance.

Lack of those things results in falls and broken bones.

Work out

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Mason Hatcher

I remember that before 2021 no old person ever lost balance, fell and fractured hips and and other bones.

Lmao, genius.