Free dental care will pay for itself in the long run

  Photo: Flickr/Sergio Santos

Last month, I summoned enough internal fortitude to do the one thing I struggle with —seeing my dentist. As a youngster, a bad experience impacted follow-through on one of our most important health check-ups. My parents never pushed me to go after that though I did manage to struggle through.

It wasn’t until the early 90s that things changed for the better — so much better. A friend introduced me to her dentist. Up to that point, for five years I had been wandering around loose with a temporary filling that my dentist of record had put in place in advance of a root canal. I never returned for dental care!  Until I met the first Dr. Rowe — Dr. Ronald Rowe. 

Without appointment, when I joined my friend, he escorted me to a suite; we had a chat and he told me what was what. In the time it would have taken a previous dentist to fill one tooth,  Dr. Rowe the Dad, filled three, informing me that I did not need a root canal; tooth filled! A pain-free day. A great day!

I have a terrible oral defensiveness gag-choke reflex associated with the CP, so when I needed to sit up, the elder Dr. Rowe accommodated immediately. The same is true with his son, Andrew, who  currently provides my dental care.  On a recent visit, I had two teeth extracted as I knew they couldn’t be saved. Concerned about gagging and pain, it turns out I had nothing to worry about; there was no pain whatsoever. I was numbed up right n proper! Dr. Rowe was surprised I had no pain while eating given there was an abscess under one tooth. I’ve never had a toothache in my life which I attribute to brushing with the Sonicare toothbrush, using olive oil soap. 

I hold myself fully responsible for 3 extractions to date; had  I been less anxious much earlier on, I wouldn’t have been so deeply entrenched in dentist avoidance. It was the diagnosis of a heart defect in the 90s that smartened me up though I am still  somewhat dentist averse.

There are many conditions and diseases that originate in the mouth given it’s a breeding ground of bacteria.

For me, Grade Two Aortic Insufficiency is another reason for maintaining proper oral hygiene habits and that includes dentist visits. I require antibiotic prophylaxis prior to dental procedures. Endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart’s inner lining is a risk posed with dental work that’s not cushioned with antibiotics.

 

I’m hyper-vigilant about at home care; that and good genes have allowed me to chew and crunch with an almost complete set of ‘they’re all mine’ teeth for decades. I still have the wisdom teeth so I must be doing something right. 

At 67, to have lost 3 teeth is tragic, given I’ve been so careful about keeping them healthy even in the absence of routine dentist visits. Don’t do as I do — see your dentist regularly. If anxiety is a concern for those new to or revisiting the dentist experience, make the first part of the appointment a conversation before going forward with even minor procedures. It’ll be worth it.

Currently, the only source of dental care for low income adults is found through social assistance programs but only for emergency treatment; Canadian children under 17, who are recipients of support from social programs, benefit from free dental care. 

Most Canadians receive oral health care through privately operated dental clinics and pay for services through insurance or by paying for it themselves. Some dental services are covered through government dental programs.

The reality is that finances is a significant roadblock to proper oral health and it’s time for the Canada Health Act to change, to address with greater coverage, the needs of the poor and those living on the financial fringe; folks who will never save enough, paycheck to paycheck to support dental health, whether their own or that of young children or older parents in their care. Many procedures are financially prohibitive, though dentists will insist that treatment is urgent. 

Our current health care system provides coverage for treatment of issues of the lips, tongue and throat, but not for teeth and gums. I find that disconnect both confusing and disheartening given how many people suffer excruciating pain on a daily basis because they lack the funds to seek appropriate dental care in the absence of health care plans that include it.

Now’s the time to include dental care through our system of health care. Many Canadians are currently treating ongoing muscle and bone pain among other conditions with long-term pain management medications when the real culprit to all of it may lurk in the mouth. Many Canadians would enjoy better health if the government would open wide to include dental coverage within the current Medicare scheme. Cost savings over time would be significant.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at  Carla MacInnis Rockwell

My forty years with Victory

Victory Meat Market Under New Management

Photo/John Chilibeck

Well, it finally happened. Victory Meat Market has been sold. But — all the best parts of the shopping experience there will stay the same. Best is that all 43 employees will remain! It’s place in Fredericton is one that has created memories for young and old alike, and being in a ‘university town’, its clientele is diverse; with that, over the years, they expanded their foodie offerings with growth of international foods and condiments. That speaks volumes of their commitment to quality service. I am confident that those key features of their decades long relationship with the Fredericton community won’t change with the new owners. I look forward to meeting them.

I echo the sentiments of Lorraine MacLeod who expresses the wish that renovations include a ramp and power door for wheelchair users and others with mobility disorders. I find the high step extremely difficult to negotiate; as to the in and out door, I’m a rebel, not always by choice. In the case of access to a place of business, sometimes doors aren’t compatible with my mobility challenges as is the case at Victory which features a single railing on cement steps that have been a thorn in my side for decades. I buck up and get it done. 

A mainstay at Victory for as long as I’ve been a patron was Lynn Peters. Whenever she saw me at the steps, she’d rush to the door to hold it open. She then offered to collect my groceries, once she learned how I shop and why? I’d email her the list and she’d have everything ready when I went to the city. Plagued by the ‘fatigue factor’ associated with cerebral palsy, I combined several errands in one trip. When she retired, a huge hole was left in the fabric of Victory Meat Market as she set off on the next phase of her life.

As to my own Victory connection, my orders are quite substantial, as I cooked and baked in bulk and froze meals into portions to ensure I ate well each day. Lynn got to know my habits very well,  as did those she handed me off to when she was preparing to leave. We laughed about her training them for the ‘big shopping list’. Whenever there was any new baking or cooking items on the shelves, I’d get an email or phone call asking if I’d like to try this or that. Those ‘little touches’ are what made my Victory experience a great one. My latest thing is the small bags of frozen fruit; stand alones or blends. I’m addicted to smoothies. They’ve gone to the dogs, too!                     

The ‘we are family’ has been a theme that everyone, young and old appreciates as part of the shopping at Victory experience. Multi-cultural cuisine is extremely popular in Fredericton, and meeting the dietary requirements of those from other lands is testament to Victory Meat Market’s welcoming attitude. It’s also an opportunity for those new to international cuisine to enjoy diverse taste treats. Victory has a captive audience and that’s always a good thing for any business.

Long before I became a senior and still lived in Fredericton, part of my week was shopping at Victory.  Back then, they’d give out brown bags filled with a few marrow bones; dog treats. No doubt they had a lot of customers taking advantage of that largesse. Now, most stores tray those bones in pairs and have them available in their meat displays. A dog’s life has a price tag, too. Perhaps along with a senior discount, new management will consider a ‘pet discount’. Seniors and university students would love that. 

As for me, wider aisle would be great. From time to time I like shuffling around on my crutches, checking out the ‘new stuff’.  Victory floor staff make every effort to meet the needs of senior shoppers and those with special needs that impact their shopping experience. Under this new management there is opportunity to go that extra mile and address long-standing issues of exterior access as well as interior freedom of movement.

Widening the aisles to accommodate slim mobility scooters and wheelchairs would be a huge boost to Victory as it moves forward with expanded food offerings, targeting the city’s immigrant  and aging populations.  In any planned architectural changes addressing accessibility, I encourage Victory management to consult with Ability New Brunswick and/or the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation; when it was the Forest Hill Centre for Rehabilitation, I was their first child patient back in the 60s, so Victory renovation team  could consult with me, too. I know a lot about accessible bathrooms. Soap dispenser location is critical! Ask me about grab bars. I know you want to.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

Giving teachers a role in psychoeducational testing is a change that makes sense

Photo: Brunswick News Archives

Marie Cashion’s letter of 17 April is right on the money. She’s absolutely correct when she says that psychologists should back Education Act changes in support of resource teachers being positioned to administer and interpret student tests. Who better?

Certainly, some of the tests are complex and demand a higher/finer degree of understanding of the mechanism of assessment than just a numerical one. 

Educators involved in the day to day of student life are uniquely situated to learn about the key points of test interpretation with an ability to apply the processes in a timely manner. Many psychologists, often functioning outside the school system/setting are disadvantaged by lack of proximity to the guts of the issues. With more collaboration and with psychologists not getting hung up on the ‘alphabet tag’ after their name, they can actually be more effective in their professional capacity. Educators and psychologists have one shared goal — to help students be their best selves in the school setting and out in the ‘living in it’ world.

To be blunt, psychologists need to get over themselves and accept that educators have equal if not superior qualifications in certain areas of of the process of testing. Experience in the field, actively teaching children, must count for something. Psychologists historically focus on emotional/mental wellness and issues that may negatively impact it. Their skill set may include the qualifications and ability to administer tests to students in the school setting, but they are not the only professionals who capable of doing that. 

Frankly, teachers are actually better positioned as they’re in ‘the thick of it’ each and every day and are able to observe interactions of students with classmates, with teachers, with young or older students. What they observe can and does impact student performance on tests; something that psychologists don’t get to appreciate on a consistent basis given they’re outside the bubble. It’s counter-productive to duplicate services when teachers can be trained to administer tests and are eager to learn how to effectively do so without bias.

Early testing, being mindful of the uniqueness/special needs of some students allows teachers to keep their finger on the pulse of the process going forward which in turn, allows them and their colleagues to adjust curriculum to accommodate different learning styles. Persons like me, living with neurological insults like cerebral palsy, may require certain considerations with regard to test time completion. Some of us by virtue of challenges to dexterity, fine motor skills, may take longer to complete a test and some administrators/assessors may misinterpret extra time requirement as a function of a learning disability. Teachers get to see us in those raw states, something psychologists don’t appreciate until a real problem arises - like temper tantrums, etc. What is the source of the tantrum? Is it a daily thing or driven by situations outside the school setting? Teachers and psychologists must present a united front when dealing with students who are frustrated by unpredictable home lives when parents are at odds with differing styles of communicating with children. Psychologists would function to counsel all involved in the family dynamic and provide tools to correct course that would improve school performance. Teachers will benefit from that expertise as they see a child’s behaviour stabilize and learning potentials enhanced, free of stress. 

Dr. Cashion’s point are valid ones and bear on the success of expanding testing mechanisms to include input from resource teachers, the very people who often get to know students on levels not available to psychologists. Psychologists are typically called upon when there’s already an active crisis. Teachers, on the other hand, can, from the outset, steer students around crises with non-threatening conversations about what’s going on in their world that makes learning difficult for them. 

Psychologists and resource teachers don’t need to compete with each other; that only creates conflict and mistrust of motives. The only focus should be on student outcomes and what each, psychologist and teacher, can do to improve success rates. 

With shortages of psychologists in the school system, a  reasonable person would assert that teachers can fill the gaps. Children want to be heard and understood. Teachers do that. Psychologists do that. Why is is so difficult for psychologists to just let go and let grow. They’re adults and should be able to accept that they and teachers are able to provide youngsters with the same things but in different ways.  They get to the same place but from different directions. That’s called learning life.

In the end, the expansion of the role of resource teachers to function as test administrators must not be seen as taking something away from clinical psychologists. On the contrary, they actually serve to compliment each other with their shared vision of health and wellness of students.  

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

How to stop food waste and start community building

 

Meals on Wheels volunteers Doug McIllwaith & grandson, Carter unloading insulated food delivery bags/Stephen Llewellyn

I recently read about Fredericton’s Clara Neilsen, a 4th grade student at École des   Bâtisseurs, and her cupcake campaign in support of Grace House, the city’s shelter for homeless women.  The spirit of giving in one so young is a lesson for all.

That got me thinking about food in general, and all the food waste that takes place in local grocery stores across the province; across the country.  On so many levels it’s  wrong for us, as supposedly intelligent human beings, to stand by and let that happen. Yes, let it happen. 

Children are living in poverty. Men and women across the age spectrum have lost jobs due to the pandemic. Many have had to modify how they work at what they were trained to do. Others with diploma in hand were stopped in their tracks when COVID brought their job seeking to a screeching halt. All have one thing in common — food insecurity. Hunger. Worry. Illness. Loneliness. Challenges to mental/emotional wellness. 

Poor nutrition impacts all aspects of our lives but we tend not to pay enough attention to it. When one doesn’t have the financial means to meet even the most basic of needs so many of us take for granted, it’s no wonder that nerves are frayed. Those least able to cope with these insults to daily living are the very young and the very old. That being so, it’s important for those ‘in the middle’ to step up their game and get more involved in  DOING for their community and contributing to the wellness of those outside their world. 

I frequently share my experience with food and what healthy eating does for my body as I age with the neurological disability of cerebral palsy; promient with all meals — fruits and vegetables. They’re expensive, yet grocery stores, department stores with food sections, restaurants and others, routinely throw away perfectly good produce. Many grocery stores give food away; legally donating it. There needs to be a lot more of that. Food banks can’t accept anything that is close to expiration date, so it gets tossed out. 

Teams of volunteers could easily rally, after getting guidance from ‘city fathers’ as to how to proceed, and reroute food headed for dumpsters to agencies that feed the hungry and the homeless. Even in these COVID times, people can still contribute to their community with initiatives that have potential to strengthen lives, to save lives.

All the fruit and veg that supermarkets throw out at end of day could be turned into take-out salad for seniors or lunch meals for the homeless in a street  outreach initiative, which  would contribute to correcting course on several fronts. 

Adults with learning  disabilities, already in training programs, could be brought in, with COVID safety protocols in place, to package salads for seniors and others. Job seekers who are currently unemployed could volunteer to deliver salads.  Perhaps local car dealerships would donate used vehicles. COVID protocols would  be maintained with door-to-door delivery. After all, the product has cleared inspections before going on store shelves and display cases. Those young people and even older persons with intellectual disabilities who have been emotionally frustrated with loss of daily activities of jobs programs or training center programs would benefit from new visions that are born out of common needs for goods, services and people connection.

Inexpensive advertising campaigns could generate lots of interest which essentially speaks to the growing need within communities across the province and across the country. A ‘salad for seniors’ scheme could be an adjunct to already existing programs like Meals on Wheels and Meals to Wheels, both of which always need volunteers.

Expanding on the need for a salad for seniors door to door nutrition program, the over 60+ set living on their own with no regular daily supports would benefit from salads; seafood salads, in the absence of allergy to shellfish, do a body good. Omega-3 fatty acids  enhance cardiovascular health and contribute to alleviating mood disorder symptoms like anxiety and depression. As well, omega fatty acid reduces blood pressure. 

Anything that has potential to break the back of food waste at the grocery stores while benefiting those challenged by depressed finances impacting food security is a win-win.

All of us continue to be challenged by COVID fatigue but we must stay the course and be vigilant. Serving the community that serves us requires so little time and effort and really does mean a lot to those who struggle; addressing food waste is a good place to start. Make those calls. 

You and you and you make WE.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

Seniors looking to stay healthy should put nutrition first

A favourite spot in the grocery store

        Back to regularly scheduled weekly physiotherapy sessions, life at Chez Rockwell continues to focus on health and wellness. I’ve been reading about folks anxious to return to the gym but question how impractical that may be in these COVID times; it would be difficult to maintain social distancing and wearing a mask while working out may prove to be problematic for those with breathing problems like asthma. 

  An at-home workout regimen is doable but it requires a commitment of time each and every day in order to reap and maintain long-term benefits. As minimalist as my own exercise routine is, it has ensured my strength and stamina hold up in support of my continued safe ambulation. The fact that I was not injured when I fell is testament to that.

Calcium, Vitamin D and Omega-3 supplements have all been shown to improve bone strength and for me, maintaining density is key to guaranteeing that I can continue putting one foot in front of the other with confidence and security.  For close to 40 years, I’ve taken several supplements, morning and night, with only one prescription medication  — Synthyroid. All taken with lots of water. Be sure to check with your doctor to determine if any supplements you take might negatively impact prescription medications.

Sufficient hydration is critical to bone integrity and I do enjoy thrice daily mugs of hot lemon water with clove and honey. We absolutely must ensure that we drink enough water each and every day, especially during these isolating times. Also, ensure that seniors in your world are sufficiently hydrating with water. That daily practice contributes to mental acuity; a dry brain is a confused brain.

Trying new recipes ensures that I consume a wide range of fruit and vegetables every day. Veggies are high in Vitamin C which stimulate production of  bone-forming cells. As well, that extra C load through nutrition, provides an antioxidant effect which protects bone cells from damage. Bone density is boosted through daily servings of  vegetables. To inspire eating more of them, try roasting on a sheet pan. I often prepare a blend of  veggies, shake in a bag with a bit of olive oil and seasoning spice like roasted pepper and garlic.  The toaster oven is perfect for cooking 1-2 serving meals, and a great way for the home alone senior to maintain the daily recommended nutrition load. 

Fruits and vegetables have been a significant part of my diet all of my life; important for person with challenges to health and wellness. Many studies on health and nutrition illustrate that daily consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables is a boon to women’s health; interestingly, consumption of onions has been found to lower the risk of osteoporosis. If you haven’t tried a baked onion, you must — they’re really good. Then there’s roasted cabbage, broccoli and carrots. All  contribute to strong bones. If you’re going to supplement, consult with  your doctor about how much and how often, but the best sources are found in food.

A good balance of protein and calcium is important for maintaining bone density, which allow us to have a healthier and happier quality of life.  Again, I say — if you’re on a fixed income and find healthy eating is taking too big a bite out of your budget, consider sharing the cost with a few COVID-clear friends with whom you can enjoy frequent meals. Such social networking  contributes to mental/emotional health which has been put a risk, particularly within certain segments of the population.

Smoothies are a daily feature of my health and wellness plan given that calcium is the most important mineral for bone health. Because old bone cells are constantly broken down and replaced by new ones, it’s important to consume calcium daily to protect bone structure and strength; daily recommended is 1,000mg/day. Consult with your physician about what is right for you.

Eating to live and living to eat is the way I roll. I love to experiment with different cooking methods to ensure variety. Variety allows us to more easily stick to a nutrition plan that will keep us healthy. Ensure that Vitamin D load is sufficient to accommodate your aging body. Diseases such as osteoporosis are implicated in many falling fractures and breaks. If there’s a family history of disease, it’s vital that one top up the D through nutrition and supplementing. A bone break can disconnect you from family and friends with hospital stays, rehab, followed by at home rest. All of that compounds inherent stress.

So for me, my days begin and end in the same way; spine stretching and bone strengtening flexes at my bedside. Yours can, too. Get moving! Stay safe.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

When it comes to maintaining mobility, seniors must move it or lose it

Fridge door handle replaced. My very mild OCD is triggered.

They don't match!

Anyone of any age can fall and be unhurt, sustain a minor injury or even a serious one. We can’t predict outcomes. What we can do, as we age, is ensure that we keep our body as ‘fine tuned’ as possible, especially if we live with any sort of pre-existing condition or comorbidity. ‘Aging in place’ in the golden years can be a challenge for so many, especially those with limited resources to modify living spaces to accommodate changes to movement and mobility.

When I fell 3 times in a single day, something that has never happened in my entire life, I attribute the entire course of events and my responses to them to the absence of a  ‘touch spot’ in my kitchen; something I’ve relied upon in the thirty years I’ve lived in my home — a fridge door handle. We don’t realize how important something is until it’s gone. For me, that  fridge door handle was a transition point as I made my way around the hub of my home, touching counters as I moved along, often carrying a pot or a bowl in my other hand. I cannot carry things using both hands; never could. As a consequence, I have a very strong forearm and grip strength. We don’t often think about how important our hands are until one of them is unavailable. For me and others with mobility challenges who do walk, hands are our connection to our spaces, to  touch surfaces so we can safely move about, to live independent lives, or to function as an equal partner in a marriage or other relationship, contributing our fair share to chores. Two hands  contribute to our effective parenting, but they don’t define the success or failure of our parenting role.

Getting a handle on the fridge after the triple falls was absolutely critical. My attachment to fridge door handles began in childhood, when I was small and going through rehab at the polio clinic attached to the old Victoria Public Hospital and then as the first child patient at the Forest Hill Center for Rehabilitation. Early on, I was taught how to fall, with activities that were initially started by my father when I was a toddler. He’d stand me in front of him and push on my shoulder; front, back, left shoulder, right shoulder. The goal was for me not to topple over.  The balance testing went on for several years. If I was going down and there was no saving myself, I was conditioned to go limp, like a rag doll. It’s the twisting in effort to save oneself that a fracture often occurs. Dad  told me that bone is often broken before one hits the solid surface of floor or ground.

At 66 years of age, I still have remnants of the ‘startle reflex’ of babies, common in  those with cerebral palsy. I’m able to control it as I’ve developed the ability to filter many sounds that would normally trigger a startle. causing me to lose balance or fall. 

As example, turning the phone ringer off contributes to my upright mobility. As well, I have a ‘touch spot’ grab bar in the shower, and on either side of the therapy tub enclosure that occupies a space formerly used as a closet in my bedroom. My basement stairs have a railing on one side, with a medical grade grab bar mounted on the wall above; another bar is mounted on the opposite wall above the open space where there is no railing, positioned further along, to allow me to descend the last few steps to the den floor with that physical support. Safety always!

Stair climbing has always been a challenge,  moreso as I get older; thus, the reason for the weekly physiotherapist visits. I have very good range of motion in my legs, all things considered, attributing this to my decades-long practice of adhering to healthy eating, focusing on nutrition that contributes to maintenance of bone density. Also, purposeful stretches throughout the day allow me to continue to do things so many do with ease. I know my limitations and don’t tempt fate by going beyond my body’s range. The ‘fridge thing’ was a total fluke. I’m not a faller.

My message to seniors, whether home alone or living with others:  move/use it or lose it. Physiotherapists are like Santa. They know when you’ve been naughty or nice.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

After three falls in one day, a lucky escape from injury

A 'touch spot' handle fell off the fridge causing 3 potentially serious falls in one day.

For those with mobility challenges, vigilance to at-home safety is critical

Several days ago, I fell, and I fell, and I fell again! Any one of those falls could have thrown me into major medical crisis; three falls in a single day is a record and one I hope not to repeat. Ever!

The last time I fell, sustaining an injury, a very serious injury, was in 1985. In a darkened hallway in my Charlotte Street apartment, I tripped over my black cat, who was lounging in the doorway to my bedroom. Down I went, part way into the room, just inches away from the edge of an antique spool bed. I was unconscious only briefly and upon coming around, recognized my predicament immediately. I was later found to have sustained a dislocation of my left/dominant elbow. Rescued by a neighbour, I was in the DECH overnight before being ensconced in the then Northern Carleton Hospital in Bath where my Dad did his doctoring thing. 

For safety and recovery, I stayed for a month. Without a sound elbow, I could neither use crutches or propel the hospital issue wheelchair. My mother was also a patient at the time and Dad was enjoying this turn of events, asking her if she wanted a roomie. Yeah, right! While trapped in the ‘germ factory’, as I called hospitals, I got pneumonia and required antibiotics. The great escape couldn’t come fast enough.

It took almost a year of weekly range of motion therapy to get full elbow function back. From that point to this, when I sustained the triple falls, I had taken a few tumbles, but was never hurt. Jarred and shaken but nothing broken or even bruised. You might be wondering how I managed to land on the floor 3 times in one day.

My home is well organized, with ‘touch spots’ available for hands to land as I move about. One such touch spot was the fridge door handle. Some time ago, the top part of the handle developed a hairline crack, which had spread. Then, it finally happened. On the day of my great falls, the first was when I touched the handle for balance and it spun forward and was no longer attached to the door. I fell, hands outstretched, head thrust back to avoid a floor strike. Both knees hit the floor - hard! I crawled to the dining room table and hoisted myself up and carried on with my walk back to the TV room to my desk; too shaky to make my coffee.. I was not hurt.  Hours later, I returned to the kitchen to make the coffee. I forgot that the handle was no longer securely attached, and when my hand automatically reached for the decades long used touch spot, I fell — again! That time, I fell to the right, wrenching my neck and right shoulder and doing a number on my full spine. Ouch! Again, I hoisted myself up. Nothing broken. No bruises forming. Mr. Malcolm, service dog in training, stayed out of the way. Good boy! I carried on with making the coffee, focusing my gaze on the handle on the freezer. That would be my touch spot. I kept looking at it until my brain set the pattern of movement. Success! 

Alas, I was a bit premature. On a third trek to the kitchen, I had the most serious of the 3 falls the day. Reaching out for the now gone fridge door handle, I landed to the left, again slamming both knees on the floor. The elbow I had dislocated decades earlier took a solid strike. Pain shot through my arm, so I was a bit slower getting up, but I did it. Over the course of the day I experienced only slight pain in the chest; muscle strain. Nothing serious.

It’s important for old gals such as I to ensure that oft-used spaces in the home are safe and free of obstacles that may cause a fall. Falls with subsequent hospitalization due to fracture is common after the age of 60, though those of us with  ongoing challenges to mobility have to be extra vigilant far earlier on. It’s said that falling once doubles the chances of falling again. Be careful out there.

Vertically mounted decorative towel bars on inside and outside walls of bathroom, bedroom or other room that are often frequented offers another layer of security. If challenges to mobility are more pronounced, medical-grade grab bars would be indicated.

Within the next few days, via an Amazon delivery, I hope to get a handle on things so that a consistent pattern of upright mobility will rule my days going forward. So far, brain training to redirect my eye and hand has been working. I know that I cannot afford another fall as it may not end well.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell