10/08/2026
The clocks fall back on Sunday, November 1. By the middle of that week it'll be dark before supper.
For a parent living alone, that changes more than the view out the window. October is when the house changes: the heaters and the cords come out, the rugs go back down, wet leaves pile up on the step, and somebody still has to climb up on the roof to cover the swamp cooler.
The CDC says more than one in four adults over 65 falls each year, and fewer than half tell their doctor. Falling once doubles the chance of falling again.
The CDC also says falls can be prevented, and most of the fixes are small. Nightlights in the hallway and bathroom. A lamp she can reach from the bed. Rug pads. A brighter porch bulb. The cord moved off the path to the bathroom. And the swamp cooler cover handled by you, before he gets to it.
Then two phone calls: a medication review and an eye exam.
A room-by-room walk-through for New Mexico families, before the time change: https://assistedlivingcarenm.com/fall-prevention-for-seniors-in-new-mexico/
