Denton County Living Well Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 36

It’s Up To You
By Cindy Harrison-Staub, M.S.

L

ast November, at age 81, my dear mother fell
and broke her right hip while getting out of the
car. It was our family’s worst nightmare-cometrue. Two years ago, mom also broke her leg
from a fall, so we all knew that if she eventually
broke a hip it would negatively affect her life forever. Well,
it happened, and it has put a lot of stress on the family.
After nine weeks in a skilled rehabilitation/nursing facility, my mother returned home on
January 26th. She is using a walker
and will now have 35 hours per
week of nursing aide care and
continuing therapy. She will need
assistance for the rest of her life
and has lost most of her ambulatory and social independence.
In light of this tragedy, what can
one do throughout life to minimize
the risk of falls and broken bones
from them? As a personal trainer
and nutritionist, it seems obvious
to me that an investment in balance, bones and s