Do you have stairs where you live?

Having shared a house with my mom as she got old (we had to have grab bars installed even for the one little stair from the garage to the house), after I retired I was careful to buy a condo in a building with elevators and zero stairs (though I'm only 1 floor up in the high-rise so I frequently use the stairwell to go up or down the one flight to an exit door).

Although I think stairs are good exercise for an old person's legs, I don't think they are the safest 'exercise equipment'. It was before I moved here but my neighbor saw me coming up the one flight holding bags in each hand (no hand for the rail) and she told me someone in our hallway had fallen on those stairs and even though the fall didn't kill her, she died soon after. Since hearing that I've been careful to take the elevator when I need both hands to carry stuff.
 

Jazzy1 said:
If so, did you ever have any falls or injury from your stairs?

Do you think you are healthier because you get more exercise having to go up and down your stairs?
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I live in the same house where I was born. My answers would be Yes. we have stairs. No falls and/or injuries. Better health ? - I have no idea.
 
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@HoneyNut’s post reminded me of something. When I started ballroom dancing 20 years ago, I became very protective of my legs! So even though I didn’t need to, I always made a point of maintaining contact with the stair rail when going up or down stairs!

It’s long since become an ingrained habit, so even now, though I still don’t need to use the stair rail for balance or assistance, I still run my hand lightly along it so that if I do trip, I can easily grab on to prevent a fall.
 

David777 said:
Have lived decades in an early 1970s 2-story 903 sq-ft condo with bathroom and 2 bedrooms upstairs plus a carport. Walking this light fit 135# body up and down is trivial effort. Much too active and coordinated to ever likely to fall on stairs even though I often do so in near darkness. Sometimes to strengthen my body before a winter ski season or a summer wilderness backpacking trip, may for a few weeks a few times each week, carry a 50 pound pack up and down stairs say a dozen times.

Below from 2012 negotiating a steep talus field at near 11k elevation. Now at age 76 and still doing this easily each summer that comes down to something very simple ... USE IT OR LOSE IT.

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Kudos to you.. but tbf...in this picture David, you were on 65.... :D
 
DebraMae said:
I have ladder type attic steps to go up to the loft. I have never fallen on them but a year or so ago I had not climbed them in a while and found out I could not do it. Now I make sure I climb them every day. Use it or lose it happens quickly at this age.
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funny you should say that , just a few months ago I did the same went to climb the ladders into the loft here.. first time in about 3 years and really struggled, and I thought..why ?.. it's never been the easiest to get up there because it's a regualr extending ladder, but it was a really hard struggle... and I still am wondering why, given that I'm up and downstairs in this house probably upto 30 times a day no exageration...
 
palides2021 said:
Plenty of stairs in my home, going upstairs and downstairs. There are also stairs in my garage. I go slowly each time and hold on to the rails. Better to be safe than sorry. So far, I'm able to move up and down easily. I had a great fall from another house over 15 years ago, and since then, climb and descend stairs carefully. I consider stairs an opportunity to exercise my leg muscles. The only thing I don't like is carrying groceries up the stairs or carrying laundry down to the laundry room. It becomes a balancing act.
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I found rather than carry a large laundry basket downstairs precariously now..I just take every items or couple of items that need washing downstairs to the washing machine and use that as a laundry basket... instead..IYSWIM
 
johndoe said:
Front and back entrances have 3 steps with handrails which I use. Basement has 12 steps with a handrail. It takes some forethought when bringing up laundry but it's doable.
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Basically the same. We recently installed rails for the exterior. I‘m glad they’re there, if needed.

The basement stairs lead to the laundry area. The rec room and storage spaces aren’t used much but that‘s the access to the furnace, etc.

With a full laundry basket, I take it one step at a time and coming back up I set the basket on the stairs every 2nd step.

Since a kid, I‘ve had a major mental block about stairs. It‘s got worse with age and I’m sure my vision issues don’t help. When I see actors running up or down long flights of stairs, I have extreme anxiety. It really upsets me, even just thinking about it.
 
^^ "Copy: ... "I haven't fallen down them yet. I have fallen UP them, though ...


I recently watched The Donald and Rubio climb the steps to AF1... they both stumbled
The same day on the same step. The hand railing changes curves downward near a foot
and caused them to reach down to hold it thus falling/stumbling, injuring knees even when wearing PPE.
Yep a design flaw to harm is a great thought here.

Even a 55-year-old can be victim to a plan.

One would think these guys would be smart enough to get the railings changed.

Needless to say, a railing is one's last balanced option before falling. Left and right are a great plan too.
On narrow steps use both l & R is good thought for 60 / 100-year-olds & younger.
 
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After I retired I moved to this area after finding a 4 B.R. Ranch style home with full vaulted ceilings in a rural setting.

Stairs to the basement to my Mancave there and storage + 2 more bedrooms and Bath for Grand Kids, etc.

One bedroom is Grandkids Puter games office. Another is lil Womans work office. I have offices in both
main rooms with the room of many windows my main hang out place but also the Mancave for quiet things to do.

Pull down Attic stairs to the upper of the Garage but I don't go there. Attics I avoid. No way. Thats for pro's if needed.

I am a stickler for handrailing's on steps for my own safety.
So far, It's the Cats that I need to be aware of 24 / 7's.
 
Used to be a couple steps at the back door. As part of my plan for us to age in place I raised the patio to meet the house when I installed it. And now there are none. This worked out well when the husband became disabled and used a walker. Theres two steps at the front but we never use the front.

Inside I have 12 ft ceilings. So the stairs have a fairly nice rise. There are twenty steps to the upstairs.
My house was a nursing home in the 1950's so there are rubber treads on the steps.
But when we first moved in I still managed catch my instep on the edge of a step and butt surf down all twenty.
Note to self. People who wear size 11 shoes need to go down sideways. I admit I used to be guilty of not using the handrail.
Now I use it every time. Saving a trip isnt worth a fall. :D

Our bedroom used to be upstairs but as he became more disabled the husband couldnt do stairs.
So we moved to a downstairs bedroom around 15 years ago. I prefer the upstairs shower so I still go upstairs.
After he passed away I stayed downstairs. I couldnt justify heating the whole upstairs just for me. I still shower upstairs though.
And most of my clothes are still upstairs.
 
I live on the second floor of an apartment building w/ no elevator. So yes, I have to go up every single time I come home. And I have COPD so I'm struggling to breathe by the time I'm up here. But I'm glad I'm forced to get exercise.

TG I've never fallen on them, but oddly enough, today I was worrying about falling in general like in the shower which could kill me, so I did a search online and copied down some exercises recommended to help prevent aging ppl from falling.
 
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We have stairs in our home and I take them every day to go to my home office. When I am no longer able to climb them, our master bedroom is on the first floor so I will just close up the second floor.

I learned there is actually a syndrome called "Bungalow Leg" that affects people who don't have stairs in their homes. Go figure.

Why a home with no stairs can give you 'bungalow leg'
 
Yes there are stairs in these apartments and down to the garage. I've fallen 2 times in the past 12 years. The first time I broke my ankle and foot 🦶. The second time I fell on my butt at the top and then bounced down several stairs.

I am very cautious now because I don't want to go through that again. I could get hurt even worse now that I'm a lot older and my bones are thinning like everyone else's.

I'd consider them exercise if I went up and down them a lot more. My knees start hurting when I use them more, though.
 

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