One of my Grandma Blilie’s favorite sayings was “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”, and that never rang as true as it did yesterday. I was working with an elderly client who has had a couple of falls in the last couple of years. He desperately wants to rely less and less on his walker, eventually getting rid of it; it’s cumbersome, burdensome, and a downright pain in the butt to be addicted to. Yesterday, I gave him a couple of hiking sticks to balance with, and placed a 4″ step in front of him, asking him to step up and down, mimicking what he might encounter with a curb or such. He was so unstable and shaky, he couldn’t do it. More than that, he was terrified. Imagine your life if that terrifies you. How did he get in this situation? He didn’t take advantage of staying strong and functional when he was healthy, and is now trying to play ‘catch up’. Physically, I can get him where he needs to be. Mentally, it is a whole different ballgame. Please don’t assume that tomorrow, things will be the same as they are today. Start now.
Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.