Chewable Pills Supporting Bones, And Safe Falling At Home, On Holiday, And In Hotels

A major cause of accidents at home and overseas for the elderly is falling. You could fall off a ladder or roof fixing a roof at home. (This happened a couple of years ago to a relative in the USA.) 

You might fall down stairs at home or in a hotel. When you are younger, you might laugh and forget if you fall off a chair whilst changing a light bulb, or trip over a paving stone. When you are older, you cause more damage, or alarm, when you fall over a pothole, up or down steps into your house or a building. 

You might often simply trip over your own long skirt or shoe laces or bump into a trolley at a supermarket, or fall for no apparent reason at all. That's without being drunk, overtired, jet-lagged. 

Frequent Falls On Public Transport

Signs on the London underground railway, nicknamed the tube, warn you to hold onto the handrail of the escalators. They say accidents happen every week.

Mind the Gap is a sign used in the UK, China (Hong Kong), and Canada.

Mind the gap sign in Victoria station, London, England, UK. Photo author WillMcC in Wikipedia.

Prevention Of Falls

Prevention is better than cure.

What precautions can you take? The NHS Falls Prevention issues a booklet of exercises left by a trainer for those patients at risk of falling.

I have two relatives who take Alendronic, to strengthen bones. This is a prescription drug.

Chewable Adcal

Adcal, chewable calcium and vitamin D is currently in 2026 available in UK chemist shops (Europeans say pharmacies, Americans say drug stores) for anybody to buy. Adcal is free on the NHS in the UK to those British residents who are eligible for free medicine because of low income and/or advanced age and medical need.

It comes in more than one flavour. Lemon. Multiple fruits. 

You can also buy it online. Prices vary. You can search for the cheapest supplier, taking into account whether postage is included or extra.

Practical Information Falling Safely

Safe Falling Demonstration

I recall at a |Toastmasters International club in Singapore, which met at the Sheraton hotel, the late Laurence who had had part of one leg amputated, enjoyed shocking the audience by pretending to fall up the steps to the middle of the dais. He would fall and immediately right himself, and gleefully lift his trousers to show his wooden ankle. 

He always got applause and was voted the best table topics speaker. (He was volunteering to give 2 minute impromptu speech on one of the topics which in the 1920s when TI started in the USA were on pieces of paper on the table, face down, selected randomly.)

After writing this poem I started wondering how you avoid a fall. I seem to remember that he had learned to fall safely at martial arts classes, which are very popular in Singapore, and taught to all ages in the Community Centres in every area.

I have spoken to many people who train for marathons. In the months ahead of a triathlon, they practise running, plus swimming or cycling. 

My husband, when we lived in Singapore, used to run down and up the stairs to our flat on the 12th floor of a skyscraper. Good practice for a marathon, or if the lift fails. 

But what about falling?

I asked AI for advice on falling.

Advice On Falling

Minimize the impact and protect vital areas of your body using specific physical techniques:

Protect your head: 

Tuck your chin firmly into your chest immediately to prevent your head from whipping backward and striking the ground. Wrap your arms around your head to shield it from debris or hard surfaces.

Roll with the fall: 

Avoid keeping your body rigid. Instead, try to curve your back and roll along the fleshy parts of your body (such as your shoulder, hip, and thigh) to distribute the impact over a larger surface area rather than a single point.

Avoid breaking falls with straight arms: 

Never extend your arms stiffly. Also don't lock your elbows to catch yourself, as this often results in wrist breaks and hairline cracks, dislocated shoulders, or broken collarbones. If your hands must hit the ground, keep your elbows slightly bent.

Fall sideways if possible: 

f you feel yourself losing your balance backward or forward, try to twist and land on your side. Landing flat on your back can knock the wind out of you or injure your spine. But falling directly forward risks injuring your face, mouth and teeth area.Keep joints loose: Allow your knees to remain slightly bent rather than locked straight to help absorb some of the shock.

Sources Of Information On Safe Falling

I asked where Gemini got the information on falling.  

Gemini took the essential points from Mayo Clinic on Fall Prevention, and Medical Guardian on How to Fall Safely. Gemini rewrote the information without technical terms, without long words such as velocity. Gemini also left out advice on clothing and furniture.

I have further edited Gemini's text into simpler, everyday language, leaving out such terms as kinetic energy, trauma, dental, while, fractures. This helps me to grasp the facts at a glance, as well as helping all my readers in countries such as Singapore, whose location is listed in my blogger's Google analytics pages.

I have recorded this advice, firstly for my own benefit. Secondly, I am sharing it with you so that you can send me corrections or updates, and to save you time so you can start your own research if you or your family might need more information, or more accurate information.

This is intended to entertain and provide information so you can be informed and prepared when asking professionals for help relative to your own personal situation. This is not a map, just a signpost to places with maps. Please check the latest up to date expert information from sources in your area and relevant to your needs.

No wonder doctors are concerned about building bones and preventing falls.

Falling is the leading cause of injury-related death among older adults aged 65 and older.

The most authoritative and reliable sources tracking these statistics include:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The CDC tracks mortality data and emergency department visits through its National Center for Health Statistics. Their tracking shows that falls among adults 65 and older cause tens of thousands of deaths annually (with figures surpassing 43,000 deaths per year in the U.S.), making accidental falls the number one cause of injury death for this demographic. You can explore their datasets and reports directly on the CDC Older Adult Falls Data page.

• World Health Organization (WHO): Globally, the WHO reports that falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide, noting that older adults suffer the highest burden of fatal falls globally. Their global estimates and risk factors are detailed on the WHO Falls Fact Sheet.

• National Council on Aging (NCOA): The NCOA compiles extensive research from federal health databases, highlighting that roughly one in four older Americans falls every year, cementing falls as the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for the demographic. Their summaries can be found via the NCOA Falls Prevention Resource Center.

Look after yourself. Happy holidays, and stay safe, fit, and healthy!

Useful Websites

https://fyldeclinic.co.uk/products/adcal-d3-chewable-tablets

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Lasers Instead of Fireworks, Favoured by Animals and humans

Cats and dogs and other animals can be terrified of fireworks. Also displays have injured animals, children and adults. 

The good news is that safer displays could be on the way. They cost less in clearing up. Less cost in injuries. And it seems that the public like the laser displays which can be used not just in the sky but to light up buildings.

I'm all for music to go with displays instead of startling bangs and unnerving whizzes.

Useful Websites

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13947315/Oooh-aaaah-NO-Majority-Britons-want-laser-shows-instead-noisy-fireworks-poll-reveals

https://www.rospa.com/policy/home-safety/advice/fireworks-safety

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fireworks_accidents_and_incidents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks_law_in_the_United_Kingdom

Fireworks advertising poster in Harrow for November 8th 2024.

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

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How to get and keep the aircraft seat you want - When you should and should not swap seats

Aircraft seats. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 To get the seat you want, first check the season (month) day of the week, times of day of your flight and the prices. An early flight might require an early checkin and getting up early to leave home or check out of your hotel. 

Breakfast

You might be missing breakfast. One year in the USA I had four breakfasts, one at home and three on flights, and was offered another on arriving at my hotel. 

Check seat availability. The window seat alows you to see the scenery, take photos, sleep against the wall. The aisle seat is good for jumping up when the toilets are free, hailing the passing steward for food or a query. 

I like the aisel because I have a mild claustrophobia and fear of flying at heights, seeing down the aisle, watching other screens and crew looking calm, not seeing the ground far below. It is easier for my husband to find me, check up, chat, help me with overhead luggage, and surrptitiously pass me chocolates. I would be happy to change an window or middle seat for the aisle. 

The middle doubles your chances of chats with a new friend. You can hop out to the toilet when the person in the aisle gets up.

If you are in the aisle, when you get up for a restroom break, you might ask the others if they wish to go. If you are not in a hurry, if you let them go first, you don't have to stand up again when they return.

You can lift the armrest of the aisle seat to let yourself and the others out more easily.

Should you swap seats? If the other seat is an advantage. If you don't care. If you are not obliged to abandon the goods in your overhead locker. 

On a cheap flight with non assigned seats, sometimes the crew ask you if you would mind changing seats.

On a large aircraft with assigned seating, sometimes the crew ask you not to swap seats until after takeoff, and to resume the correct seat during landing. That is so that in the event of an accident, the right family is informed of your injury, death, transfer to hospital, whatever.

You also want to consider your speed in exiting the plane, if you are in transit, or being met by a taxi or family. A seat nearer the front exit might suit you better.

In flight Special Meals

During the flight, staying in the correct seat is helpful if you have ordered a special meal. It saves the staff from having to hunt for you. No risk of your meal being given to the wrong person or not getting any meal.

Losing the aisle seat during takeooff and landing could mean that you don't get to see the view and take photos. However, mostly if the person by the window has their eyes open, or their own camera taking pictures, they will gladly take a photo or two for you using your camera or mobile phone.

Useful websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-12886815/Never-switch-seats-man-plane-spot-moving.html#comments

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When should you get out of a broken down car? How dangerous are hard shoulders?

Problem
Your car breaks down or is hit. Should you get out?

When my car was hit in the slow lane of the M4 it shot across the middle and fast lanes, hit the barrier, revolved and stopped. A lorry driver ran up and told me to get out of the car. The right-hand doors were not operating. He came round to the front passenger and helped me out.

There's nowhere to stand along the barrier. I thought we might be hit, by something hitting the car stopped behind me pushing that car forward, like a row of dominos falling.

I asked him to move his truck across the fast lane.

He ran back and moved it diagonally across all three lanes. (Nobody was going anywhere forwards.  Cars could not overtake the accident. The other damaged car was stopped in the slow lane. Parts of my car were in the central lane.)

Later I learned that it is standard practice to move a large vehicle diagonally to block all lanes. It is big so its a barrier to smaller cards which can't shunt it. It's double height and can be seen. The fact that's it is diagonal blocks more than one lane. The fact that it can be seen from a distance as diagonal tells you that you cannot go forward and that something is amiss. 

I had been wondering what the statistics were on accidents.


'... since 2011, more than 20 people have been killed or seriously injured on hard shoulders.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5290983/Smart-motorway-horror-sees-lorry-crash-familys-car.html#ixzz54iXKntOv
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Driving in the UK, Europe, Romania - each country's costs and quirky rules

Problem
In the UK and some former British rule of the road countries such as Singapore we drive on the left. Other countries in Europe drive on the right.

France and Accidents
I remember reading that a high proportion of accidents in Europe are near the ferry terminals. People drive off the ferry from the UK to France. They are not yet attuned to which side of the road they should drive on.

Of course, there are now signs.

France and Fines
Another concern of Brits going to France was that drivers had to buy breathalyser kits for their cards in case they were stopped by the police. Later this law was dropped because they could not produce enough breathalysers. Better check with the AA or RAC or the country concerned before you travel  to France or any country what the latest laws are.

If you own or hire a car in the UK and drive across to France through the tunnel or take a ferry, you are in a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side. When you fly drive, it is easy to know which side of the road to drive.

Driving with the driving wheel on the correct side makes it easier to overtake. The driver is in the middle of the road and can see the road ahead and any traffic in the overtaking lane or, in a two way road, in the approaching lane.

If the driver is on the kerbside, the passenger my be responsible for saying if there is any vehicle coming.

Romania
When we drive in Romania, what are the rules of the road? What does a driver need to carry?

The websites telling you about driving in Romania point out that you need a warning triangle. You might think that if you hire a car that would automatically be provided. It is in your interests to check. As where it is. You might need it in a hurry and you don't want to cover it with a suitcase. Does it fold out?

The high visibility jacket is not something I expected to have to provide and wear on a motorway even in daytime. Very sensible. But In an accident that means I can't jump out and run back to fix up the warning triangle without it. So where do I get one?

I recently narrowly avoided hitting a pedestrian who ran across the street wearing dark clothing. It gave me quite a turn. You can buy armbands to go over clothing or be sewn on, specifically for safety. Another option is decorative patches which glow in the dark. Or wearing white at night.

Is there anything I hadn't thought of?

Answer
The RAC (UK's Royal Automobile Club) has a handy website about Romania. It covers what you want to know and things you didn't know you need to know.

I wanted to know about parking and fines. It told me which side of the road to drive on, that if you stop for more than five minutes you must be in the same direction as the traffic. (I believe that's so vehicles approaching from behind can see your reflectors.

You need to carry your driving license, insurance, and ID (passport).

Seatbelts are required in the back as well as the front.
(Incidentally, I am often told by taxi drivers and private car drivers worldwide that the seatbelt is stuck under the back folding seat but 'it doesn't matter'.

It does matter. I insist that they stop and sort out the seat belt. Why?
1 A friend of mine in the middle seat was thrown forward in a road traffic accident and several injured.
2 I read that the front seat passenger can be injured by the force of a body thrown forward from behind.
3 If you are not wearing a seatbelt the insurance can refuse to pay up or reduce damages on the grounds that your injuries were not caused by the driver but by your failure to wear a seatbelt.
4 You or the driver could be fined.

In Romania, according to the website, you also have to keep your lights on even in day time and you are not allowed to hoot your car horn day or night in some places such as a central city.  Whether you are seeking safety or to avoid being fined, better safe than sorry.

In the UK we have the AA, the Automobile Association. In the USA we have the American Automobile Association, AAA.

The first thing the AA website told me about driving in Romania was that drivers should be asare that NO alcohol is allowed. So you can't have just one drink.

The money supermarket site has handy information on the USA. It reminded me that you should not have alcohol in the car, even unopened. Keep it out of reach, in the boot of the car (which in the USA is called the trunk).

DIRTY CARS BANNED!
The most surprising thing is that Romania forbids driving with a dirty car. (That's the sort of rule I would expect in Singapore.)

Russia is another place which bans dirty cars. Why? Your numberplate or registration number must be visible.

Stopping When School Buses Are Stopped
Another important note in the USA is about not overtaking a stopped (and flashing light) school bus, whether you are behind it or approaching from the other direction. You have probably guessed that this measure was introduced for the safety of children who alight and run into the road without looking, or even do look.

Some countries require you to carry a first aid kit. Always a good idea. Others require a sign of a regulation size and colour and design, not just a red balloon, or white fabric handkerchief, on a bicycle or projecting object on the back or top or anywhere on your car.
Anything which promotes safety is good.

It's also a good idea to carry the number of the emergency services and have it handy in your phone.

How much will a high visibility jacket cost? I was amazed to see how widely they are available, from Sports Direct or Alibaba. The price for a sleeved jacket was about £20, and a sleeveless vest was reduced from about £6 to £2.50.

For more details see:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/romania/
http://www.theaa.ie/aa/summer-driving/romania.aspx
http://www.theaa.ie/travelhub/hiring-and-driving-a-car-in-europe/
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/c/news/driving-abroad-the-rules-and-regulations/0014407/

Tips
http://romaniatourism.com
https://www.duolingo.com/
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to my posts.

Unsung Indian heroes in India - road accident rescues and pothole filler

flag of Romania 

Problem
I was quite depressed yesterday. I researched Romania. Found Dracula. And discovered that the reality was worse than the fiction.

 Not just in Romania, but all over the world, throughout history. Crucifixion by the Romans just one example of the public torture was the norm worldwide as it still is in parts of the Middle East, until along came Queen Victoria and the police trying to clear traffic jams cause by crowds in the streets watching public executions, which did not deter anybody, because pickpockets had a great time stealing from people watching the executions of pickpockets. (The criminals and thieves just regarded it as a risk in a world where everybody was out to get you and everybody for himself and nobody would help you.)

Answer
So it was with great pleasure that I found the BBC running a series on Indians who were helping. I started reading about a man who helps road accident victims. Then I followed links to a story about the man filling in potholes.

They are both examples of people following Gandhi's principle: Be the change you wish to see.

Good old BBC, doing what we expected of the BBC in the old days. Well-researched articles, uplifting, answers to problems.

USA Fatality from pothole
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4459346/Child-killed-3-adults-injured-truck-hits-car-NYC.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-35966747 story about the man filling in potholes.

Follow links on the page to the man saving road accident victims.

It's reassuring to know that somebody is filling in dangerous potholes causing accidents, and somebody else is rescuing accident victims in the critical hour. Let's hope that, like a ripple, these good efforts, good idea, and good people, will spread around their country and eventually worldwide to benefit travellers everywhere.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.