WEBVTT

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Have you ever felt your body tip just a little

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too far and thought, uh -oh, this may not end

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well? Well, that moment can happen fast, right?

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And it's scary even if nothing bad actually happens.

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Today I'm going to show you simple things you

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can do in the moment when you feel yourself losing

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balance and how to recover safely without panicking.

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These tips can make a real difference in preventing

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falls. And just so you know, we at Senior Safety

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Advice have the training and experience to help

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you stay safe, confident, and independent at

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home. And we care about helping you navigate

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those moments with support and clarity. All right,

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let's get into it. When someone tells me, Robin,

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I feel unsteady sometimes, I always say the same

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thing. You're not alone. Losing balance happens

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to all of us at some point. The trick is knowing

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how to respond before a fall happens. So today

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I want to walk you through a few practical things

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you can do in those first few seconds when you

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feel yourself tipping or getting off center.

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Because here's the thing, when you know what

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to do, your body automatically kicks into a safer

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pattern. You feel calmer and you react faster,

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and you reduce the risk of a serious fall. So

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let's talk about it step by step. First, if you

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feel yourself drifting to one side, stop moving

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right away. I know that sounds obvious, but sometimes

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we just try to push through and keep going. That

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actually increases the chances of falling, though,

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so give yourself permission to pause. Just freeze

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for a moment. Then, widen your stance a little

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bit. Spread your feet shoulder -to -shoulder

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width if you can. This simple move gives you

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a much bigger base of support. It's almost like

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stabilizing a tripod. You'll feel your body settle

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a bit as you do it, and you might think, really?

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Just that? But yeah, just that. Next, use the

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nearest stable surface. And I want to emphasize

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stable. A grab bar, a counter, the back of a

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sturdy chair. I'm talking about something that

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won't wobble or slide. Place your hand gently

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at first. Don't yank or grab suddenly, because

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that quick pull can throw off your balance even

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more. So let your hand guide you back to being

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centered. Now this is a big one. Focus your eyes

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on something that is still. When your balance

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goes, your eyes start darting around, and that

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confuses your brain even more. So pick one thing,

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a doorknob, a picture frame, anything stable,

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and just look at it. Your body responds to that

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visual anchor, and it helps to make your balance

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a little more steady. If you feel wobbly because

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you turn too fast, one trick that I love is to

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simply turn your whole body in small steps. So

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in other words, don't twist your upper body while

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your feet stay still. Move everything as one

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unit. It feels a little funny at first to...

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You know, move one step to the left and bring

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your body with you, and then move one step to

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the left again and bring your body with you.

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But it does help to keep your center of gravity

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right where you want it. If you're recovering

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from a stumble while you're walking, try to take

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one slow step forward instead of rushing to catch

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up. A slow and deliberate step is actually safer

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than a rapid one. I know that sounds backwards

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kind of, but trust me, your muscles fire more

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effectively when you slow down for a moment.

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And remember to breathe. Losing balance can make

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you tense up. You hold your breath, your shoulders

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go up, your muscles tighten, and suddenly your

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body can't react the way it needs to. So one

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slow breath out helps calm your system and gives

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you just a little bit more control. Now if you're

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using a walker or a cane, here is something important.

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Bring the device to you instead of reaching for

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it. When you reach, your body leans forward and

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that throws you off balance even more. So pull

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the walker in closer if he can or slide your

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hand along a counter until you can scooch close

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enough to use it safely. And if you feel like

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you're going to fall, Try to lower yourself toward

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a stable surface, like a chair, a bed, even really

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the floor rather than stiffening up. Falling

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down stiffly makes an injury worse. If you guide

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yourself down gently, even if it's not gracefully,

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you protect yourself far better. The trick is

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then being able to get back up again. So that's

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why I always recommend seniors carry their cell

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phone with them wherever they go, in your pocket

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or get a fanny pack, something like that, because

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if you do fall and you cannot get up, help us

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right there at your fingertips with that phone.

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So in the moment, It can be scary, obviously.

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I have fallen myself, so I understand. So that's

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why I'm saying to practice moves like this when

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you're calm, because it helps so much. Even 10

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seconds a day makes your body remember what to

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do. It's like teaching your reflexes a safer

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script. Now let me give you one more tip. After

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any loss of balance, don't immediately go back

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to whatever you were doing. If you stumble or

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you're wobbling, Take a moment, check in with

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yourself and ask, was I dizzy? Did I move too

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fast? Was the floor slippery? Understanding what

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caused that problem helps you to avoid the same

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situation again. So today, just start with one

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or two of these ideas. Practice widening your

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stance. or practice reaching for something that's

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stable or practice breathing through that moment

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of wobble. These little things add up and they

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can give you more confidence walking around in

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your home. All right, my friend, that is it for

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today's daily moment of safety guidance. So thank

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you for joining me today. Please share this episode

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with someone you care about who could use the

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information to make their life safer. You'll

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find more resources for seniors and caregivers

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on our website at seniorsafetyadvice .com. And

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if you're searching for an Aging in Place Specialist,

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please visit our sister website at aginginplacedirectory

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.com. And then come back tomorrow for another

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Daily Moment of guidance and encouragement, right

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here on the Senior Safety Advice Podcast. Oh

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yeah, and if you have not subscribed to our YouTube

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channel or to this podcast yet, Go ahead and

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do that right now. Until next time, take care.

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Thanks for listening. Bye!