Almost nobody decides to take shorter steps. It happens quietly, over months, usually after a stumble, an illness, a hospital stay, or a winter of… Read More »How to Improve Your Step Length – Tips From a Physical Therapist
How fast you walk, measured over a few meters of hallway, predicts an unsettling amount: whether you’ll be able to cross a street in the… Read More »How to Measure Your Walking Speed at Home (and What the Number Means)
Ask someone how their walking is going and they’ll tell you about walking. Distance, speed, whether their knee hurts on the stairs, etc. Nobody mentions… Read More »Best Techniques for Turning Without Losing Balance
Your mom went down in the kitchen. By the time you got there she was already sitting up, waving you off, a little embarrassed, telling… Read More »Your Parent Fell and Says They’re Fine. Here’s What to Watch For.
Two halves of the same problem Balance and strength fail in different ways, and they protect you in different ways. Strength is what makes the… Read More »Strong & Steady: Complete – Balance and Strength Together
Most of what people call “getting old” in their legs is really years of doing a little less each month. The chair gets harder. Then… Read More »Strong & Steady: Strength – A 28-Day Home Strength Program for Seniors
Part of our complete guide to safe transfers at home. The car is the one transfer that happens outside the house — and that changes… Read More »How to Get In and Out of a Car Safely: A Guide for Seniors and Caregivers
Part of our complete guide to safe transfers at home. Of all the transfers a senior does in a day, the toilet is the one… Read More »How to Get On and Off the Toilet Safely: A Guide for Seniors and Caregivers
This is part of our complete guide to safe transfers at home. When I walk into a home for the first time, I’m there to… Read More »How to Protect Your Back When Caring for Someone at Home
A gait belt is the cheapest, most useful piece of equipment in home caregiving, and it’s the one I see used incorrectly most often. Usually… Read More »How to Use a Gait Belt Correctly: A Physical Therapist’s Guide