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Deciding to go down to the kitchen for some painkillers in the middle of the night, I fell down the last few stairs (no alcohol involved, sadly!) and broke my left leg and right foot

Reflecting as to why the accident happened, I realised that the new fangled light bulbs had not yet heated up so there was insufficient light on the last few steps and they were in shadow.

We have since bought several LED lights that light up as one approaches. These are only 3 or 4" in diameter and sit on the side of the stairs but illuminate them brilliantly. I can really recommend these to everyone as a safety precaution.

Oh dear, Candelle. When was that?
That's how I broke my wrist, but not in the middle of the night. I was told if I'd had alcohol, I might have landed easier and not broken the wrist. However, I was supposed to be taking my grandaughter to a concert she was in, so alcohol would have been a bad idea.

I joined a local Tai Chi group some years ago,it was a mixed age group,from teenagers to 60 year olds.We each got something different from it.For me it has helped my balance tremendously,so many good habits I have put into practise which are second nature now.

make sure rugs are non slip

dont rush around and make sure all cables etc are out of the way to avoid a tripping hazard

cables are a nightmare!!! I downsized a couple of years ago and all the sockets are halfway up the wall for easy reach, problem is that the cables on electrical goods are so short I have to have extention cables all over the place!!

Hi Durhamjen. My accident was in 2013 and the time of being 'non-mobile' with both feet not being allowed to be on the ground was, um, er, challenging and something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

I was actually fortunate in one respect, as my husband actually heard me yelling for help. He is a very deep (think extremely stertorous snoring, grr) sleeper and I was amazed that he heard me, as this was around 4.00am.

Mind you, he then proceeded to tell me that I was fine. Left leg swinging around at a very odd angle but 'you're fine, up you get' was the initial response! Bless.

Happy New Year, all GN-ers and those at HQ, too!

Make sure there are no items left on the floor to trip over or have rugs which may move. Always wear sensible footwear when coming downstairs and have good spaces between furniture. Unfortunately, the thing I fall over most is the cat who always seems to be lurking under my feet!!

My DH has mild MS and has periods of unsteadiness yet despite warnings to take things slower he resisted and often lost his balance.We now have a puppy who is very likely to trip him up and it has made him more thoughtful in his movements.Focussing on a dog, ( learning to wait- his command to stay still- the dog not my DH) whilst he moves gingerly where he wants to go. Not the solution for everyone of course but definitely making more planned, thoughtful trips even if it's only to be bathroom helps him.

Try not to get too tired, I have fallen a few times when exhausted.

Think of everything twice. Don't rush about, take your time . Do not leave objects lying around, put them away as soon as, because you will forget. Take your time in the bath too as it will be slippery. Take time to go foes the stairs too. X