What have you stopped doing because you're afraid of falling?

HoneyNut said:
It must be at least 15 years since I felt safe on any except small ladders, and even then I remember the last time I cleaned gutters on a tall ladder I wore my riding helmet and equestrian body protector (padded safety vest)! Around 13 years ago one of the barn cats got stuck up high in the barn, and I was too scared to climb an extension ladder so I spent hours building a giant pyramid of hay bales to climb up and rescue him.

Also stopped riding bareback 12 yrs ago (and for the last number of years before that I'd only wobble around a token amount bareback (less than a minute!), usually only rode bareback when it was too snowy/cold to want to bother tacking up). And I gave up riding at all 10 years ago (though that had more to do with my old horse and mother both having died and I didn't feel it was safe to ride the young horse when I was all alone out in the country with no one to know if I got hurt).

I also had to have/use the safety bar on my mini-trampoline, but I gave up jumping on that several years ago because it was hurting my hip.

On the last hike I went on with the retirement community's 'Baby Boomers' club, I had to find a stout stick in the woods to help me feel safer navigating up and down the hills and over the tree roots and rocks (the other hikers helped me too).

It is time I look into getting a walking stick of my own. Someone this week was telling me she knew someone with a type that you use two sticks (one for each hand).
Click to expand...
They're called Trekking Poles. I have some listed on my website.
 
Since an accident off of a playground structure on a balance beam, 12 feet off the ground. I was having fun, trying to get to the top tower. Someone yelled my name, scarring the ebeegeebees out of me, I twisted my feet and fell that 12 feet onto my tailbone.

That was in 1972... The tailbone was further damaged after daughter was born in 89. OB slammed a rubber mallet on said tailbone as ladies here who've had children know. The tailbone pivots down to help during childbirth.

Mine being at a wrong angle to begin with, didn't return to its original place the day after.

I did have a second child, our boy the following year and suffered the same wack again. I swore I'd never go back to that hospital for childbirth. However, my health took worst and we were recommended not to have any more children due to my body's depletion of iron again.

I've also stayed away from play structures forever. 50 years of back pains. Swimming is a huge help and I'm looking forward going to local for water therapy soon.
 
Welllll...I haven't completely given up cleaning my gutters yet, but I gave up ziplining. Hard to get hurt ziplining, so I guess maybe I've just gotten scared of heights. Not heights like just one story up to the gutters, real heights like hundreds of feet in the air.

When there's something like a ceiling bulb that needs to be changed, I don't use a short step ladder anymore; instead I use a taller one. I guess that's still a step ladder but sturdier than a short one.

Or sometimes I don't feel like being bothered and get DD or DSIL to change a light bulb.

If there's just the tiniest hint of being uncomfortable or feeling unsteady, I don't do it.
 
As of three years ago age 67 I stopped using step ladders for this and that.
Also I now do my shower/bath routine much differently. Watch how I bend
with my knees and not bend using my back, stuff like this. I go both up and
down all stairs much slower and more pragmatically and carefully then ever
before. Other things too...

Night driving I limit, driving in thick traffic I limit, My night vision has changed
and not for the better~
 
I gave up driving when I moved here 5 years ago and did not get a car. I still have my license but find it stressful to drive in heavy traffic in bigger cities or on the highway. So I don't.

Today I was looking at my curtains wanting to take them down to wash but I can't climb on anything much less, the windowsills in my apartment to get to them. So will see if I can get my maintenance man to take them down for me.

I cannot do stairs at all and I have to use my walker all the time. Even inside my apartment. Never thought I would be like this. It's a bummer.......
 
Alligatorob said:
I have a pair of those, and for rough ground in particular they are best. Kind of like ski poles. Amazon sells a variety of light weight ones.
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I have those trekking poles. For serious walking ( called Rambling in the UK)... people use 2 trekking poles.. but when I go out and I know I'm going to be walking through uneven terrain, I take one trekking pole with me.. they're great for stopping knees and back hurting when walking up steep slopes..
 
Well, I think I can still climb a ladder or two. So when the weather warms up, I'll rent or borrow a ladder, and clean the outside of my windows.

As for driving, I'm very afraid of falling off the side of a mountain (in my car). So I don't drive out of town.
 
I replied before that I haven't stopped doing anything...I'm just more careful. I'll add to that. I've begun putting my phone on the wide ledge of the tub in a plastic zip bag (zipper facing away from the flow) when I shower. I realized after removing the hamper, on which I used to lay my phone, that if I fell in the tub or on the floor while getting out, no way would I be able to reach the phone on the sink, where I had started putting it.
 
I haven’t stopped doing anything I used to do.

About the only concession I can think of is that when I run up or down the stairs these days, I trail my hand lightly along the rail as I go.
 

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