Icy Conditions

[Mike4550]

Just now I saw an elderly person walking unsteadily on an icy pavement near me. I felt they should have remained indoors but even more alarming is they had their hands in their pockets. If you slip your arms can help you keep your balance and if you do fall an arm injury is preferable to a head injury. Falls are a primary cause of injuries resulting in death in older people. This is even more relevant if you are on blood thinners as a fall could result in a bleed in the brain!

Remember hands out of pockets and walk like a penguin in icy conditions.

[Taviterry]

How old is "elderly"? 😀 The conditions locally aren't as bad as elsewhere, though I planned my route to the shops for a newspaper with care - getting there means descending a steepish hill. The only minor problem was getting down my sloping drive, where my boot slipped an inch or two. I made a point of keeping my hands out of my pockets when moving over a potentially-tricky section. I had no trouble with the cold and might have returned by an indirect route but for drizzle coming on.

[Mike4550 in reply to Taviterry]

That's similar to the question "how long is a piece of string". When I had just passed 50 I had knee problem and went to the doctors. My GP (similar age to myself) said "it's to bee expected as your age" and I left feeling quite old. I went back a few months later and saw a young locum who said " you are too young to have walking problems" and referred me. I ended up having a knee clean out ( just googled it - arthroscopy);and no problem since. The local council and their social workers treat people over 55 as ancient probably because until more recent years most retired at that age on a nice inflation linked final salary pension that added millions to people's council tax!

[yellowren]

Thank you for the kind advice Mike, I’m sure it will apply to a fair amount of us. I had a fall a couple of years ago and my arms saved me from hitting my head on the pavement. Fractured my wrist but much better than hitting my head .

[Wurliwonder]

A relative of mine tripped when walking but he had both hands in his pockets. He pivoted forward and the first point of contact was his head. The result was that he was paralysed from the neck down and had to go into a nursing home. I'd been in the habit of walking around with my hands in my pockets in the cold weather. I'd never do that at any time now.

[scentedgardener]

Good point about hands in pockets although it is very tempting as some of us have very cold hands due to medication and even gloves aren't enough, and we also might have no choice but to go out in adverse conditions.

[Whiteghost]

HERE HERE. I don't class myself as elderly. My Grandchildren do😁. I was walking with a shopping bag in both hands, tripped over a raised drain cover, hit the ground face first, broke two teeth, fractured one tooth. Face all grazed. Still held on to shopping bags🤷. A very large dentist bill. So the morale of this story is always keep your hands free, and eyes alert.🤗

[readyabout]

My wife had a fall in icy conditions, she had cut face, bleeding nose and broken specs. fortunately she recovered well from that. In icy or snowy conditions we now use 'YAKTRAX PRO' for super grip, fit over your shoes or boots (try in the shop first) we bought ours from 'Cotswold'. They are absolutely brilliant!

[Dyllibobs in reply to readyabout]

I also use the same. From someone who has broken both wrists & a foot all in separate accidents. As soon as it becomes icy I do not step foot outside without my Yaktrax! 😁

[Taviterry]

Ironically I feel more at risk from the sun in my eyes, and four years ago and in 2024 I misjudged kerbs; the first time I was crossing a road and tripped over the kerb, last year I stepped off a pavement, not realising it was a higher kerb than usual - one stone on top of another. Usually I wear a broad-brimmed hat that shields my eyes - as well as protecting against the sun - I had a skin-cancer scare 11 years ago.

[CarolingTeacher]

Mike—I loved so much that you cared about the person you saw struggling to walk in the ice. You are right to be concerned—especially about some of us with some serious heart and health issues. Thank you! A slip can cause a lot of damage. I’m a little older, on blood thinners, and I really worry about those slick surfaces. I discovered CRAMPONS—rubbery inventions (with little studs in the bottoms) that you slip on over the bottoms of your shoes when it’s icy. They have become reasonably priced online and they help me walk pretty stably and safely on icy surfaces—along with my trusty cane. Highly recommend.