If you would like to participate in a pilot program for hiking poles to be either loaned or given to residents who are finding it difficult to move about and/or take walks outdoors, please call or text Ed Collins at 415 377-7696 or e-mail at mretc@hotmail.com.
As we age, we begin to lose mobility and can sometimes use help in what used to be easy tasks. Twice, recently, I witnessed two of our residents fall while walking. One was on the path in open space and the other was on the sidewalk by the Rolling Root. The second incident caused a large gash in the resident’s forehead. Even if we could use help with balance and mobility, the thought of using a cane — or, heaven forbid, a walker — can have a negative connotation. Hiking poles are used by young and old alike to help with hiking and walking. I use them and find them useful not only with balance but also helpful in exercising my whole body. So I proposed to the HOL board that we purchase hiking poles.