Falls, choking, drowning, poisoning, burns: in France, everyday accidents cause around 20,000 deaths a year, according to the national public health agency, compared with just over 3,000 road deaths. Falls alone account for about half of these deaths, and people over 75 are the main victims. Statistically, home and its staircases remain far more dangerous than the car.
Chlorine on its own is fairly gentle. But when it combines with urine, sweat and other grime from swimmers, it forms chloramines, which cause stinging eyes and that classic 'chlorine smell'. A well-kept pool barely smells at all. Shower before you swim and never pee in the water.
Muscle mass slowly shrinks with age, putting independence at risk. But in 1990, a study had nursing home residents aged 86 to 96 train their legs for eight weeks: their strength more than doubled. Muscle responds to training at any age. Getting up from a chair without using your hands is already an exercise.