The Shoe Must Go On

If you or a loved one fears falling, here’s a simple way to dramatically reduce the risk: lace up some canvas sneakers. People over 65 were eight to eleven times as likely to fall while barefoot as they were while wearing sneakers, according to a two-year study by the CDC, Group Health Cooperative and the University of Washington. Wearing other kinds of shoes was safer than going barefoot, but still 30-50% riskier than wearing flat canvas shoes, because of such factors as heel height.