Toward the end of September, I spent a week at Maine Medical Center, where I had some abdominal surgery. The first day I came to, two gentle helpers got me up to walk. Walking is the absolute first step to take to get back to normal. My fear of falling evaporated with their guiding help and within another day, the walking was part of the daily routine. In fact, these medical experts say walking is the most important exercise you can do.

A woman who was a patient in the same room with me was recovering from hip surgery. She had fallen at home and was still stunned that she had accidentally fallen in her own home. She didn’t believe she’d be out of bed and walking – soon – as she listened to what the planned schedule for her next week included.

There have been elaborate advertisements for signaling devices that alert someone when you fall, classes are held to teach a person how to improve their walking (and not fall) and innumerable articles have appeared about this issue.

Given how frequently people fall, regardless of all the advice, I’d say we need all the reminders we can get and hope that eventually – before a bad fall – we older folks will pay attention.

As Sen. Susan Collins says in a recent column, the “reality is that falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults – one of three older Americans will fall each year and the Centers for Disease Control reports the death rate from ‘senior falls’ has risen sharply in the past decade.

“In 2012, more than 2.4 million older adults were treated in emergency departments for falls, and nearly 22,000 will die annually from injuries related to falls. Another alarming fact is that, according to the CDC, individuals over age 65 have the highest rates of death and hospitalizations due to traumatic brain injury. Falling is the leading cause of these head injuries.

“One troubling study cited by the Alzheimer’s Association found that older individuals with a history of moderate traumatic brain injury are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as seniors with no history of brain injury.

“One of the biggest myths about falls is that they are a normal part of aging. They are not.”

The Agencies on Aging in Maine offer fall awareness programs such as fall risk assessments and exercise and balance programs.

Kay Soldier welcomes reader ideas for column topics of interest to seniors. She can be reached by email at kso48@aol.com, or write to 114 Tandberg Trail, Windham, ME 04062.