Socks For Grandmother: How Grippy Socks Can Expand Navigation
“Each year, there are about 3 million emergency department visits due to older people falls.” (CDC). Falls are a serious threat for the elderly. A small fall can result in a hip fracture, traumatic brain damage, or even death. The appropriate course of action would be to implement as many preventive measures as possible to prevent falls. What usually comes to people’s minds when discussing this is physical therapy for the legs, maybe padded floor. But what if there was a less costly and immediate way to address these falls? It turns out grip socks might be one of the best tools to prevent elderly falls.
A couple years ago, my grandmother sold her home and moved into my uncle’s house. A frightening fall down the stairs had raised concerns about her physical health. Life again was normal for her. She picked oranges and pineapple guavas in the backyard, walked into the living room to play Vietnamese historical dramas, and spent her evening in the kitchen preparing beef stew for her son who was returning for work. But these activities soon came to a halt. The occurrence of rushing to her home after hearing that she fell became more frequent. Eventually, my grandmother adopted a more sedentary lifestyle. Her home now only consisted of a bedroom. A house of 1,300 square feet, now reduced to 500.
In order to reverse this, we bought her walkers, all which she refused to use. “They don’t help at all!”, my grandmother would say. I realized that my grandmother had grown afraid of the living room and hallway, something very uncharacteristic of her. So, we questioned her. According to her, she felt like she had lost control of her legs and was afraid of walking around. But this was odd, at our home she walked around just fine with no complaints. But then, one day while carrying a tub of fried chicken to the dining table while visiting my grandmother’s, I almost slipped. I instinctively placed the tub on the dining table with a sigh of relief, but there had been a realization. The floor was extremely slippery. With my cousin, I took off my socks and tested the floors, we skid around the tiled floor’s surface almost as if we were in an ice skating rink.
My cousin and I teamed up to create a rehabilitation plan for my grandmother. We bought a heating pad, leg warmers, and a massage stick. The last item in my cart was a dozen pairs of grip socks. I had only used grip socks before in the context of sports, but I believed that they could now be employed for a new purpose.
When looking at long term improvement, ideas such as therapy and floor padding make sense: one is constructive and the other is preventive. However, sometimes the biggest impact can be made by the simple short-term solutions. Elderly falls are the product of a cascading effect. A hazardous environment, weakening physical strength, and a more sedentary lifestyle all contribute to a growing effect which compiles over time. A solution such as padded socks enables my grandmother to navigate dangerous terrain. As a result, exploration is encouraged and physical health improves. Her previously active lifestyle may be restored. Additionally, constant massage and physical therapy at home make a big difference. Positive effects can accumulate just like negative effects, beating them in the race.
My grandma may still be surveying her new tools, but immediately she is instilled with a new confidence to explore her own home again.
