Seen on http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/12/19/lifefocus/12366010&sec=lifefocus
Wednesday December 19, 2012
Safe Love (Part 10) - Your slip is showing
Safe Love (Part 10)
I HAVE never thought of myself as pushy, and “Velvet Bulldozer” – the nickname they gave me at work years ago – never made much sense to me. I’m pretty diplomatic but I’m not afraid to speak my mind when there’s something on it.Spending more time with Bruno offered me a few opportunities to get to that point in a hurry. He is funny, caring and creative, but frankly, he was a bit of a slob when I first met him, not to mention slightly distracted.
I like to be comfortable in my environment, and being over at Bruno’s more forced me to think about just what makes me comfortable.
I got him to improve the lighting and fix up the stairs. He even got the back verandah repaired – all things that made the place look better, and safer. But it never occurred to us then to make a simple improvement that could have saved us a great deal of anguish and upset.
One night, Bruno and I were out on his back verandah skywatching (there is a certain leisure to retirement). We heard the front doorbell ring and he leapt up to answer it. He’s pretty nimble at 75, and no one could ever accuse him of slowing down!
Just seconds after he disappeared from sight, I heard a great crash and a yell. I ran in to see what had happened and saw him flat on his back in front of the door, the broken umbrella stand scattered all around him.
Bruno’s daughter was trying to get in to help him but his body had pinned the door shut.
The reason for the fall lay right beside him – a fine Persian carpet that probably had been in the hallway for years. The bottom of it was worn smooth after years of use and the carpet would slide off across the floor whenever you so much as looked at it.
And Bruno had stepped on it at the wrong angle.
I felt terrible. We should have known better. Rugs, carpets and mats are classic culprits in many falls at home, and since he wouldn’t throw this one out, I decided to pick up a sheet of non-slip underlay at the hardware store.
We should have thought of it before because, when he stepped on that rug, Bruno didn’t get the traction he needed. But, after spending the night in the Accident and Emergency ward at the local hospital, traction was exactly what he got.
INJURIES are responsible for the discomfort, hospitalisation, disabilities, institutionalisation and even death of many Malaysians in their senior years.
A great number of these injuries are preventable and measures to prevent them should be the concern of health practitioners, governments and communities everywhere.
Today we continue our series of 12 illustrated stories which follows the whimsical romance of two active seniors who, through lack of prevention, end up in awkward situations and almost miss their rendezvous with love.
The series offers insight into some of the personal preventive measures seniors can take to make their environment safer.
It was produced by Health Canada to promote a greater awareness of injury prevention for seniors and has been adapted to the Malaysian context by consultant geriatrician Professor Dr Philip Poi.
