I've fallen multiple times. As the ground slips beneath me, it takes moments to realize I'm about to hit the ground. I see the carpet, the asphalt, the concrete, the mulch, grow bigger as my whole body descends into an awkward position that's destined to become one with the floor. The one thing that can protect you is instinct. The instinct that draws your arms in front to protect your face and body, the instinct that instructs you to survive by all means, like your own guardian angel planted within your brain. It grows as you grow, and advances as you experience these moments. But it only knows so much. As I took one step after the other I took in the beautifully alike homes on both sides of the street. It was a still afternoon, the sun seeping into my skin, and blinding my …show more content…
I touched my head and felt the burn, the perks of having dark hair. Strolling through rich neighborhoods with my cousin near my side, we finally came to an end. We came across an intersection as the last few houses appeared, with the park across the street coming into view. We watched from afar as the children rolled down the bright red slides, making their clothing and hair static, and climbing the steps to escape the dragon and flames that ignited the mulch. The parents were breathless, and chasing after their children, who were ecstatic, while other parents captured these moments on their phones. We stood there for a while before we noticed the dog. It stood high from the ground, had smooth, short, black fur with copper spots on the bottom of its legs and face, and had perked up ears. It stood still, and we did the same, but frozen in terror. There was no fence
It had finally gotten dark enough that all of the dazzling park lights had turned on. I heard screams of people in the distance as we walked across the park toward ‘Roar’, the wooden roller
His opposer stands triumphantly as he thought to have succeeded in his mission. “How ill mannered is he?” the sniper murmured to himself with a devious smile. Standing tall in all black; blazer, bow tie, socks, Balmoral shoes, with the button up also to be corresponding. He appears seemingly endless like a black shadowed character made up to startle young children. The opposing sniper moves as if he is the actual Slender Man. As he stands as a vacuous man, I conjure my scheme to vanish him.
Thinking back now, I can see we were just at that age when we knew a few things about ourselves – about how we were, how we were different from our guardians, from the people outside – but hadn’t yet understood what any of it meant. (36)
A fall is an “untoward event which results in the patient coming to rest unintentionally on the ground” (Morris & Isaacs, 1980). When it comes to patient safety in health care, there isn’t any subject that takes precedence. Patient falls are a major cause for concern in the health industry, particularly in an acute-care setting such as a hospital where a patient’s mental and physical well being may already be compromised. Not only do patient falls increase the length of hospital stays, but it has a major impact on the economics of health care with adjusted medical costs related to falls averaging in the range of 30 billion dollars per year (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2013). Patient falls are a common phenomenon seen most often in the elderly population. One out of three adults, aged 65 or older, fall each year (CDC, 2013). Complications of falls are quite critical in nature and are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries including traumatic brain injuries and fractures. A huge solution to this problem focuses on prevention and education to those at risk. ...
The roar and crackling was getting louder, The cinders and embers began falling on us, stinging and smarting like ants. Suddenly, in the red glow and the haze, I remembered wondering what it was like in a burning ember, and I thought: Now I know, it's a red hell. Why aren't I scared? We pushed open the door to the back room and found four or five little kids, about eight years old or younger, huddled in a corner, although pieces of the old roof were crashing down too close for comfort. I snatched up another kid,and dropped him without waiting to see if he landed okay or not.
It was a Friday, I remember that day as if it was yesterday, I remember going to the restroom so I`d fix my makeup, there I heard a girl yelling in one of the bathroom stalls about how “she usually pays” I don’t know what was happening there, and all of a sudden, a girl came out of a stall and grabbed my shoulder, she was about 3 inches shorter than me with black hair and piercings, her eyes were red, she opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out, then she asked “hey please girl, I know we don’t know each other but please I beg you all I need is 15 bucks, please I have no money left, I need money I promise I`ll give you back your money really soon please” I looked at her pleading in front of me, she was about to cry, as if those 15 dollars were a life or death material, little did I know. I thought the same cliché way that anyone would think of I thought of the normal “she got bullied by another girl and had to give her money so she`d leave her and then she realized that she needs money for lunch or else she`ll starve” I nodded and said in a soft yet a scared voice “okay, give the money back whenever you want to” I handed her money, she looked very pleased and happy she ran back to the one of the stalls, about 5 minutes later she came out with another woman, both of them had brown carton boxes. I wondered what would the boxes contain, and the curiosity killed the cat, I don’t remember what was going on. I just remember that I was following the girl; I wanted to know what did she buy. I had so many questions to ask. I placed my ears on the door in order to hear what was going on, I heard nothing, just the voice of a box getting opened. I decided to do something I never thought I`d do, I opened the door. I saw the girl ...
A dreadful thing had happened — a dog, come goodness knows whence, had appeared in the yard. It came bounding among us with a loud volley of barks, and leapt round us wagging its whole body, wild with glee at finding so many human beings together. It was a large woolly dog, half Airedale, half pariah. For a moment it pranced round us, and then, before anyone could stop it, it had made a dash for the prisoner, and jumping up tried to lick his face. Everyone stood aghast, too taken aback even to grab at the dog.
Everything on the playground seemed to be melting, like wax onto the asphalt. Heat waves traveled on the ground, like the ocean during a storm. The little girl sat with her friends in the shade, sweating in her red hat. Recess was almost over, and all the children couldn’t wait. She reluctantly removed the hat, setting it on the ground.
Events of falls not only impact the patients and their families, but the hospital as well. To the patients, a fall causes injuries that lead to mortality, morbidity, and early nursing home placement (Kim, et al., 2007). In addition, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 20% of patients who fell,
The main problem of falling is observed to be present among adults who are of more than fifty years of age. The problem lies in lack of physical ability and internal weakness among this population. Falling can lead to various injuries such as fractures, sprains, and permanent inability to move.
Only his old weathered beagle barks fiercely at the anomaly. It runs back and forth, with frantic gestures. Nobody else seems to mind the strange entity. My hand reaches for the wet newspaper at the end of my driveway.
It was not long after the sun set that the city’s organizers of the festival announced the event that everybody had been waiting for. All the younger kids got really excited and ran as far up as they could, the crowd started to settle, and each and everyone of us prepared our necks looking towards the eastern end. Soon loud music began and the fireworks began to soar through the sky! People were in “oooohs” and “ahhhs” every time as soon as rocket would go up and explode in front of a dark canvas, the night sky. The fireworks were in sync with the music and produced a plethora of colorful designs that lit the sky. Although the whole event lasted under 15 minutes, it was by far one of the most wonderful experiences to any party. People let out a sigh once the fireworks display was over and a thunderous applause
Standing on the balcony, I gazed at the darkened and starry sky above. Silence surrounded me as I took a glimpse at the deserted park before me. Memories bombarded my mind. As a young girl, the park was my favourite place to go. One cold winter’s night just like tonight as I looked upon the dark sky, I had decided to go for a walk. Wrapped up in my elegant scarlet red winter coat with gleaming black buttons descending down the front keeping away the winter chill. Wearing thick leggings as black as coal, leather boots lined with fur which kept my feet cozy.
Too often, the increased fear of suffering another fall results in loss of confidence, causing the person to impose a self-restriction on everyday physical and social activities. When an older person is less active, however, he or she becomes weaker, paradoxically increasing the risk of falling. Because of this, elderly people who experience a fall are two times more likely to fall again. Although they might seem as a normal part of ageing, falls in the elderly are not inevitable. In order to overcome their fears and reduce the risk of falling, older people can take a number of preventive measures, such as having their eyes checked regularly, reviewing medication that can contribute to dizziness or slower reflex responses, wearing shoes with firm soles and flat heels, adding grab bars in the shower, putting railings on stairs and getting rid of things that could be easily tripped over.
The sunset was not spectacular that day. The vivid ruby and tangerine streaks that so often caressed the blue brow of the sky were sleeping, hidden behind the heavy mists. There are some days when the sunlight seems to dance, to weave and frolic with tongues of fire between the blades of grass. Not on that day. That evening, the yellow light was sickly. It diffused softly through the gray curtains with a shrouded light that just failed to illuminate. High up in the treetops, the leaves swayed, but on the ground, the grass was silent, limp and unmoving. The sun set and the earth waited.