A Comfort Keepers® guide to better balance for seniors—plus new ways to monitor gait at home
If “better balance” made your New Year’s list like me, you’re in good company. Many older adults notice subtle changes over time: a wider stance when standing, hesitation on stairs, feeling less steady in dim light, or avoiding uneven sidewalks. The encouraging part is that balance isn’t fixed. With the right foundational care habits—done consistently—many seniors can improve steadiness, confidence, and day-to-day safety. Always check with medical professionals to make sure these suggestions are safe for you.
At Comfort Keepers®, we see balance as more than an exercise goal. It’s a practical, everyday outcome supported by daily choices, smart home routines, and—in some cases—our companion care that helps support health factors that may be influencing mobility.
Let’s break down how balance works, what to do in January (and beyond), and which newer products can help track gait changes before they become bigger problems.
Your brain keeps you upright by constantly combining information from three systems:
Vision helps you judge distance, detect obstacles, and stabilize posture. When eyesight changes—or when lighting is low—your brain has less reliable information, and unsteadiness can show up quickly.
Try this today: Notice when you feel least steady. Is it at night, in glare, on patterned carpets, or on stairs? Those are common “vision-heavy” moments.
The vestibular system in your inner ear detects head movement and helps your brain understand orientation and motion. When vestibular signals are disrupted, people may feel dizzy, veer when walking, or feel worse when turning their head.
Important note: New or worsening dizziness should be discussed with a clinician, especially if it’s sudden.
Your feet, ankles, knees, and hips send constant input about pressure and body position. Age-related changes in proprioception (position sense) are associated with poorer balance in older adults or those with diseases that cause neuropathy.
What this means at home: If foot sensation is reduced, your brain has to rely more on eyesight and inner-ear input—so dim lighting, clutter, or slippery floors become even bigger hazards.
Public health guidance for fall prevention emphasizes practical steps—like strengthening, balance exercises, and reducing risks at home. Here’s a Comfort Keepers-friendly approach you can start this week:
A lot of balance improvement starts with removing some of the basic issues. Your General Practitioner can screen for all of these basic issues:
Vision check: update prescriptions and ask about glare/night vision issues.
Medication review: Some medications can contribute to dizziness or unsteadiness.
Discuss dizziness: if present, ask whether vestibular causes should be evaluated.
This is where care management can be especially helpful for some families—supporting symptom tracking, organizing health information, and helping prepare questions so that appointments are more productive. Many Medicare Advantage programs provide care management as part of your premium.
Most people imagine balance training as standing on one foot. That helps—but real-life balance also depends on leg strength, reaction time, and control during turns. I was working with a Physical Therapist after a knee replacement a couple of years ago, and he stressed the importance of being able to recover your balance when you start to fall as being vitally important. These exercises help.
A simple circuit (always near a sturdy counter/chair):
Sit-to-stand (strength for getting up safely)
Side steps (hip stability—important for preventing sideways falls)
Heel-to-toe walk (control on a narrow base)
Single-leg stand (start with fingertips on the counter)
Many older adults also like Tai Chi because it’s low-impact and structured. Recent reviews and meta-analyses report improvements in balance measures and fall risk-related outcomes in older adults.
Even strong legs can’t overcome a risky setup. Start with the highest-impact fixes:
Bright, consistent lighting (especially bedroom → bathroom paths)
Remove trip hazards (cords, clutter, throw rugs that slide)
Secure handrails and add grab bars where needed
Wear supportive footwear indoors (avoid slick socks on hard floors)
If you need more support, our Care Coordinators can come out and perform a safety assessment, and later our caregivers can help maintain clear walkways, reinforce routines, and notice early changes in mobility—before a fall happens.
Gait (how you walk) often changes gradually: shorter steps, more shuffling, slower speed, or increased “unevenness” side-to-side. Monitoring tools can’t diagnose medical issues, but they can help you spot trends early and share them with a clinician or care team. They are also very helpful as one tries to improve. Garmin is one provider that has a great deal of health information packed into a watch that helps access health 24/7.
Here are a few current options:
If you carry an iPhone near your waist (pocket/holster), the Health app can estimate walking steadiness using algorithms that assess aspects of balance, strength, and gait, and it can send notifications if steadiness becomes low or stays low. I was not able to get this to work with my own phone, but I did find the data in the IOS system. I do not regularly place my phone in a hip pocket, which they state is important for it to work.
Best for: seniors already using an iPhone and wanting a simple, passive trend signal.
Slip your phone in your pocket, take a few steps, and get instant, clinically validated gait and mobility insights based on objective data. OneStep works seamlessly whenever you carry your phone - no wearables, no calibration, no hassle. I tried this product and was impressed with its ease of use and sensitivity.
Best for: people in physical therapy or those who want more detailed step-by-step gait information generally use this product.
Sensoria smart socks use textile sensors and motion technology to provide real-world monitoring of foot pressure, cadence, step count, and gait asymmetries, with clinical use cases in aging and neurological populations.
Best for: structured rehab programs where foot pressure and asymmetry data are useful. Check with a neurologist or with the doctor treating you for diabetes.
QTUG uses body-worn sensors during a Timed Up and Go test to measure gait and mobility parameters and support assessment of mobility, falls risk, and frailty.
Best for: clinics, therapy settings, and programs using formal assessments over time.
A practical reminder: The “best” monitoring tool is the one you’ll actually use consistently. For many families, a simple baseline + monthly check-ins (even a note like “turning feels harder” or “slower on stairs”) is valuable—especially when paired with supportive foundational care routines.
A simple January “Steady Steps” goal
If you want a clear, realistic plan for the next 30 days, try this:
One appointment: vision check or clinician conversation about balance/dizziness
Three sessions/week: 10–15 minutes of strength + balance near a sturdy surface
One safety sweep: lighting + walkways + rugs
One way to track: iPhone Walking Steadiness (if available) or a simple notes log
Balance improves through repetition—and the right support.
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If you or a loved one could use help turning balance goals into daily habits, Comfort Keepers can help. Contact our local office to learn how we can support safer mobility and greater confidence at home.
Acknowledgements:
Apple Health