Staying steady on your feet

A fall is rarely just bad luck. It is usually weak legs, poor balance, an unlit corridor or a loose slipper — and every one of those can be improved.

The sit-to-stand test

Stand up from a firm chair without using your hands, then sit back down. Five times. Someone who cannot manage it, or who needs the armrests, has lost the leg strength that catches a stumble.

It is also the exercise. Five repetitions, twice a day, holding the chair back for support if needed. Progress is genuinely noticeable within a few weeks.

Walk little and often

Three ten-minute walks are better than one thirty-minute walk for blood sugar, joints and stamina. After each meal is the easiest time to remember, and the most useful time for it.

Fix the house, not just the person

• Loose rugs and trailing wires out of walkways.
• A light that can be reached from the bed for night-time trips to the bathroom.
• Slippers with a back and a grip sole — not loose chappals.
• A grab rail beside the toilet and in the bathing area.