604.732.9295
BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS
BOTTOM UP!
From Toes to Head:
The Many Reasons To
Stand Up and Move
The book costs $10.00 (or less as a bulk order) and can be mailed to you for the added cost of postage.
The original booklet was a compilation of articles written for a “Senior’s Newsletter” at the JCC from 2009 to 2017. It was put together as a fund-raiser. The new book was created in response to many requests for another like the first.
Look for some articles from the first book on this page.
One of my clients recently sent me a link to a site where Dr. Stuart McGill was discussing the importance of changing the way we exercise as we age. Dr. McGill is someone whose work on low back problems I have followed for many years. It was good to see he has reached an age where he starts to understand the challenges of aging! This is the link to that article. https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/how-to-change-your-fitness-routine-to-stay-strong-and-mobile-as-you-age-1.5471940
What he says is worth reading but I will also add one of my old articles below on an area of aging which leads to many falls.
Bladder Problems and Falling
Some things don’t immediately make sense but it doesn’t take much explanation to see why bladder problems are one of the leading causes of falls for older people.
There are two main reasons.
One is because bladder problems increase with age and the other is because when people hurry or are stressed, distracted or tired they are much more likely to fall.
What has “tired” got to do with it?
That would be the need to get up from bed in the middle of the night, probably groggy and often with reduced lighting; another challenge for older eyes. If you know you will be up in the night make sure your path is clear before you go to bed.
Another could be returning from a long shopping expedition or a vigorous exercise session when legs are tired and a full bladder causes you to move faster than the legs are used to moving.
A major problem with bladder issues is that many people accept it as “a problem of aging” or else they are embarrassed to admit there is a problem in the first place. Some people get to know where every washroom is in their daily travels and some people simply stop leaving home.
There are physiotherapists who deal exclusively with the problems of incontinence. They can help some people reduce the problem through muscle re-training. The working bladder and its sphincter do rely on muscle action. There are also doctors who deal with bladder problems and can prescribe medication to quiet an overactive bladder.
Occasionally surgery may be needed to give support to a floppy bladder. Self-diagnosis isn’t generally a good idea. Help is available and worth seeking before a fall leads to even worse challenges.
Added since Covid:
Those of us who teach an older population have become aware of the benefit of exercise classes on Zoom for those who are reluctant to go to exercise classes outside their home because of the risk of incontinence embarrassment. Hopefully, some of these classes will remain as an option even after other classes return to being "in person".