Hazardous Walking? Beware!

I recently read this article on USAToday.com about how many older Americans fall each year because of their canes or walkers.
Safely getting around is incredibly important for everyone. Not just for health reasons, but also for connecting to others! Nearly 50,000 older Americans fall each year as a result of improperly measured/fitted canes and walkers, we have to stop and wonder what we can do to fix this problem. Simply stated - talk to your doctor or physical therapist. If you've just had knee surgery and your doctor says you need crutches, ask him/her to see that any equipment is customized for you and you're evaluated as using them properly. Or maybe your parent or loved one just got word that they need to use a walker now - do some research and go with them when they get fitted.
As always, communicating with and understanding instructions from our health care professionals is paramount to our long-term health and well-being.