I've been on a cane off and on since I was 33. 4 years ago my friends took me aside and said "you fall too much." Seriously, I use a cane daily. Sadly, Mom doesn't see why she should -- in spite of falls which made her bleed -- because she "doesn't need one.". Her doctors have begged her to use it. The visiting nurses beg her to use it.

Still, if Mom wasn't just being stubborn, your idea was a good one.