Musings on old age: Old man is falling down… long stay in bed likely !

By R.S. Krishnaswamy

Nineteen years ago, I made a trip to Chennai to see my uncle R.K. Narayan, even though the doctors had specified 4 or 5 days for him to live. He was ever fresh and very “alive” ! at an age of 95. He took a good look at me and said in Tamil, “You don’t have any BP problems, you don’t have any sugar complaints, you don’t have any cardiac problems, and like me you are keeping up a 5 km walk every day.  Apart from all these plus points, I would still advise you to watch out. DO NOT EVER FALL because it’s the “FALL” which creates more than 50 percent of the aged people to stay in bed. There are terrible possibilities for an old man’s fall. But the modern builders have inculcated light steel tubular rods in most bathrooms and also attached to all the important positions of the bathroom. 

After four years of experience, I feel this is one of the most brilliant constructions addition for safety (especially for the old people).  The next place to watch out is the foot rug outside the bathroom where people keep falling down after slipping and while you are walking on the road a sudden look by turning your head to recognise somebody can also be a cause of a fall. Finally, never ever lock yourself inside when you are alone.

I was following these instructions thoroughly for 10 years. However, in Sept. 2011, I over- stepped while walking outside the house and stepped into a pit.  I promptly fell down hurting myself. The pain was terrible that I went through an MRI of the whole spine and it was recognised at the M.S. Ramaiah Memorial Hospital that I had “broad based disc protrusion of the 4th and 5th discs.” But there was no outside pain and therefore I have continued as it is except right side of my body is weaker and I can’t walk for more than half-a-kilometre continuously.

At this point one of the younger doctors said that he could not set it right by operation. But this suggestion was mercilessly shot down by the senior surgeon who said that he would never operate the spine on anybody above 70.

I continued as it is without exerting too much on the right part of my body.  This is the result of the simple act of “falling down.”