OLD SOFT SHOE: According to a recent...

OLD SOFT SHOE: According to a recent study by the National Safety Council, one in eight Americans over the age of 64 annually suffers an accidental injury. . . . Most accidents occur from falls, says occupational therapist Helen Abramovitch of Kaiser Permanente in Panorama City. Her advice: “Watch the shoes,” she says. “A lot of people fall because they are wearing thongs they fall off or out of.”

KISS OF DEATH: What’s worse than having someone die in your house? How about trying to sell the house afterward? . . . California law says a seller of a home where someone has died--even of natural causes--within the past three years must disclose the death to the buyer. Failure to do so can lead to a fate some deem worse than death--a lawsuit. See Valley Business, Page 10.

MR. MOTIVATION: Tom Hopkins, above, is pointing people in a new direction: straight up. . . . As a motivational speaker and author, the Cal State Northridge dropout has joined more than 3,500 swift-talking gurus nationwide who make a mint through motivational seminars. He does about 80 such seminars annually at $12,500 each. See Valley Business, Page 3.

ROUGH LEGACY: For Balwinder Singh of Arleta, getting in touch with his Indian culture means slapping and kicking a few men around. . . . Singh is captain of the U.S. team that recently competed in the international tournament of kabaddi , an ancient sport originating in the farmlands of India (B1). “It is rougher than American football,” Singh says.

BREATHING EASIER: Sixth-grader Gabriella Santana used to miss an average of five days a month at Langdon Avenue Elementary in North Hills. The reason: asthma attacks. This month, Gabriella has missed only one day, thanks to an education program taught at Langdon by the American Lung Assn. It’s the first time the program has been taught in the Valley. Said Santana: “It helps calm me down when I have an attack.”