Fear of falling

When adults fall they often land hard.  The 87 year old gentleman in these photos only had contusions, not fractures, but he got the message and came in for an evaluation of his balance.  

The concept is simple for balance retraining and the lecture goes something like this...
Center of mass over base of support - it's the principle behind learning to walk.  When we're 10 month old children the adults are thrilled if we're holding on to the sofa or bouncing along the walls to keep mobile. When you do it as an adult it's dangerous and makes your adult children worried!  While nearly every adult I have ever spoken to declines a cane or walker on the first suggestion the value of these devices, even short term, is no different than for a cruising toddler.  You have more fluid mobility and learn the limits of your stability safely.  And while it may be safer to hang on to your partner to cross the street, too much dependence on the base of support from someone else disrupts your own awareness, making falling an even greater risk.  And, unlike children, when adults fall they tend to become scared and less active. Logically that may make sense from a safety standpoint but is not healthy and should be a trigger to add leg strengthening and balance training to your current workout.  Or, have a physical therapist design a wellness program as soon as possible.  Once you become fearful of falling it's often hard to correct.