A highly organized and successful mRNA-based vaccine immunization process is underway at Skyline today–against SARS-CoV-2 virus which is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today 147 staff and 84 residents in the Terraces are signed up to receive the first dose , with a second shot scheduled in 21 days. Management is encouraged by the improving vaccine supply lines and the acceptance of the vaccine.

By Jane Brody in the NYT

Balance is something the body learns to do automatically by engaging the postural muscles.

Several times a day, whether I’m indoors or out, my bone doctor’s mantra reverberates in my head: “Do Not Fall!”

That might seem like telling the sun not to shine, but it does remind me that my balance is not what it used to be. I can no longer take for granted my ability to remain erect when moving about among a plethora of unexpected trip hazards — broken sidewalks, fallen branches, a dog on the loose. How can I keep from falling when I stumble?

Surely, I thought, there’d be helpful advice on the web. But after checking out dozens of postings on how I might improve my balance, I was more confused than enlightened. Most emphasized improving core and leg strength, which for me are already in good shape. Now what?

Then I learned of a new book with a title that echoed my bone doctor’s warning: “Falling Is Not an Option: A Way to Lifelong Balance.” The author, George Locker, a lifelong student of martial arts and teacher of tai chi, adapted the lessons of these ancient arts into an approach he has trademarked as “Postural Retraining.”

The goal is stability by increasing one’s downward force, and the examples Mr. Locker gave of surfers, skaters and skiers made perfect sense to me. I can easily recall my stable posture when I skated on ice or pavement or skied on water or snow: a semi squat with knees and ankles bent. Although I no longer attempt these sports at age 79, my ability to remain balanced and stable is more important than ever.

As reported last year in this newspaper, between 2000 and 2016, the mortality rate from falls among those over 75 more than doubled. Mr. Locker calls this “a medical problem without a medical solution.” Rare is the doctor who prescribes postures and movements that enhance balance and stability. Yet, these are health- and life-saving abilities that can be improved regardless of a person’s age by strengthening the body’s postural muscles.

But unlike building up arm or leg muscles, increasing the strength of postural muscles to improve balance is not something visible. It’s internal, something the body, not the mind, must learn to do, like learning how to balance on a bicycle. (Parents take note: Children don’t learn how to balance on a bike until the training wheels are removed!)