My challenge today is going to be an opportunity to let go of worry about my husband’s issues with balance. I will start by looking at it as an adventure. It will be an opportunity for me to practice being alert to his movements so I can help him stay safe. Wow, what a bunch of baloney! I can be as alert as possible, but I can never know for sure when he is going to go down. Even if I am there, I can’t stop it from happening, I can only watch and hope he doesn’t hurt himself. It’s anything but an adventure as I hold my breath to make sure he is okay.

It has been an opportunity to learn that the most likely place for him to fall is in the bath or bedroom. The space is limited and he tries to turn too sharply. We both know it but that doesn’t change the fact that he sometimes forgets. The second most likely time for a fall is when he is exercising. He struggles doing an exercise called “sit to stand”. It’s a necessary move if he wants to stay mobile but it can be difficult. A lot of the time he will get all the way through the exercise segment and then fall when he is getting up from the chair for the next activity. I am always in the room with him when he is doing these and have removed as many obstacles as possible to make his fall safer but we both know it is going to happen some of the time.

 Which brings me back to the adventure and learning theme. What we have both learned about PD is that it is completely unpredictable. The adventure is in trying to look at all options and prepare for anything. As far as relieving my burden, I think accepting the inevitable rather than fighting it may be the best thing. Balance issues are going to be a part of our lives with PD and gravity always wins. The transformation I made in my thought process is the understanding that I don’t need to constantly worry about being ready for everything because that is impossible. I just need to be ready with a helping hand whenever those things happen.