I'm glad I read this! I have noticed that I drop things more often lately. It bothered me but it never occurred to me to worry about it being a symptom of something serious. I love knowing what is causing it, though. The loss of sensitivity to touch and pressure makes sense and I guess it's time to start making sure when I'm carrying things like hot coffee that I take safety steps like using two hands---one on the handle and up underneath. Knowledge is power to prevent accidents.

The fact of arthritic hands is another cause for not gripping tightly enough. It is difficult for me to hold change in my hands (making a fist) without at least a penny or dime falling out.

My hands have become holey.

Absolutely! Before my cataract surgery, I constantly thought i had something over a surface, but when i let go to put it down it would plop straight to the floor.

No, i just have less of a grip, arthritis i guess. And I do believe some carpal tunnel involved, from all those days at the keypunch machine and manual typewriters for hours on end.

I've been on a downsizing kick - I just donated all my glassware. It's plastic cups only for me now! Dishware is Corelle, although that stuff splits into knife-like chards that are dangerous. Even my wine glasses are acrylic, and stemless.

It seems I have to protect myself from myself these days:)

Also, when something falls on the floor, there it stays for a while, unless it's food. Bending over to retrieve things just doesn't work, especially in the morning!

On Ronnie's note of dropping a shampoo bottle - I like to hunt for seaglass in season, and one of my finds was the imprinted rectangular bottle bottom from 15 oz bottle of Breck Shampoo. Remember glass shampoo bottles?

Good topic which reassures me what I have been thinking is probably correct. Painful, at times stiff hands can challenge your sense of grip. I often think I have a secure hold on an item only to have it slip through my hands. Haven't noticed a reduced sense of touch, but perhaps it is only negligible for now. I try to be careful to compensate, but accidents continue to happen.

Good luck and perseverance to us all.

Yes, definitely, dropping things more in the last year or so. No strength in the hands, like before, and have to find gadgets - like jar openers - to compensate. I, too, have arthritic hands with loss of dexterity and sensitivity and have to focus much more on what I'm doing, especially in the kitchen.

It started a couple of years ago (I'll soon be 74). For me it's arthritis. Lost my grip, ha. ha!

I agree that reduced skin sensitivity may be the reason most of us drop things. Although some of us have reduced vision as well (macular degeneration), which causes us to place things on counters and shelves that we don't see clearly. In that case, we eventually learn to take greater care in how we move about and do our chores. Add to this the fairly common occurrence of essential tremor among older folk, and you have the recipe for a lot of kitchen breakage! I always learn something from your posts!

Oh my goodness...yes! Only yesterday I asked myself what was the matter? Why can't I seem to hang onto things? So glad to know it isn't just me. I never thought to research it so thanks Ronnie for putting in the hours of effort.

Interesting stuff. Thanks for pulling that together.

I was attributing the "droppage" increase to carpal tunnel and arthritis, but do notice that it is harder to separate pieces of paper, which doesn't require much strength.

Picking things up is one more daily mindfulness exercise.

It's not so much that you are dropping things more. It's more about noticing that you have been dropping things more because now, it's more of a pain in the neck (pun intended) to pick things up. I keep my "grabber" handy at all times which works out fine except when I drop the grabber which usually results in me just leaving whatever I dropped on the floor until help arrives.

Interesting information, for sure. in my 80s now, except for that lack of fingerprints (which I had always connected to keyboarding for the past 65+ years) my hands are in pretty good shape. But my feet! All the arthritis and other described ailments went to my feet! A nuisance when trying to get from point A to point B. It gets in my way a bit, but it could always be worse!

At 72 I've not yet noticed that I'm dropping things more often. I have, however, noticed that I seem to have less hand strength when it comes to twist-off plastic caps. I keep rubber pancakes handy to help with that. No apparent arthritis yet. I think all my keyboarding and game playing keeps my fingers nimble.

I encountered the fingerprint problem the last time I renewed my driver's license. The clerk had to try several times to get the image she wanted.

I have been dropping more things lately, usually pieces of paper, sometimes gloves. It didn't seem like a serious problem and I'm glad to hear that it isn't.

Though an ongoing problem for me I wrote a somewhat humorous piece about this on my blog a couple of years ago entitled"Looking Forward to Having the Upper “Hand”

Yes, yes, yes--dammit. I am 78, but I started noticing an increase in dropping things--housekeys, notably--probably twenty years back. I'm not sure it's gotten a lot worse, though. Also, I too have much more trouble turning pages than before. Hate that. I'm pretty sure that particular one has to do with dryer skin. As we get older our skin does get dryer, and that means less traction with whatever you're trying to manipulate.

More importantly for me, I am a pianist, and it's been years since I had to start using fingertip moistener (produces a slightly tacky surface on the fingers, and is designed for--aha!--turning pages) every time I play, because otherwise I land on the keys and then slide off them again. NOT amusing. I'm also certain that I can't achieve the speeds I used to when I play. I am unhappy about that, but have decided it's not so gross that I can't present pieces adequately. Still, I don't go anywhere without my sticky-finger stuff.

Could be a lot worse--dementia, cancer, serious heart stuff, diabetes, wheelchair--I haven't got any of those, so I try not to dwell on what's gone missing. (They WILL pry the steering wheel out of my cold dead hands.)

Having trouble twisting off bottle tops use rubber dish washing gloves works all the time.

Hands hurt from arthritis and lack sensation in some fingers due to carpal tunnel nerve issues leading to "the dropsy". So far I'm injury free. I dread dropping and breaking glass as the shards are invisible to my weakening eyes and may be later found by a bare or stockinged foot.

No fingerprints? I, too, am contemplating taking up a life of crime, perhaps part-time bank robbery. Now I just need someone to spray-paint the closed-circuit cameras and someone to drive the getaway car. Oh yes, and someone with large bazookas to wear a see-through blouse without a bra (guaranteed to capture all the witnesses' attention so they won't be able to identify us later in a police line-up). Anyone want to volunteer for these positions? Remember, these are part-time jobs only, no benefits beyond your share of the ill-gotten gains!

I don't drop things more often, but find it hard to pick things up as easily. And it is hard to turn pages sometimes. I have a great deal of hand tremors, some days worse than others, that I attribute to the medications I take for cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis, anxiety, and insomnia. I had never heard anything about contacting my doctor right away if I started dropping things -- neither my g.p. nor my back specialist ever warned me about that, so I'll try to remember to ask about it when next I visit them.

Sorry, that should have said, I "attribute it to inattention". Once again, not paying enough attention!

My descent into old age often seems like gradually losing little pieces of myself and this constant dropping syndrome is both a metaphorical and an actual part of the process. Like Bruce, I think one of the worst aspects is the difficulty of bending down to pick things up. So, unless it's seriously needed (say, for the recipe I am awkwardly trying to follow) it stays on the floor until that day in the future when I feel strong enough to do some cleaning. That means lots of bits of paper, rubber bands and twist ties are part of my kitchen floor scenery and many bits of popcorn must await my not so frequent vacuuming in the area where I watch TV.

Consciousness and the Buddhist concept of Mindfulness are the friends of old age and will help us tremendously as we navigate the seas of forgetfulness (pre-Alzheimer's) and the shoals of clumsiness. It seems to me once again that I am in the company of people for whom coping is second nature and intelligence will outwit physical limitations every time. As Pat said, we do indeed keep calm and carry on because we must.

Oh yeah! I drop things a lot. And lost my hand strength right after menopause. I've always been a klutz so it doesn't bother me a lot, however I recently had back surgery and couldn't bend over for 2 months. I've had a reacher-grabber for years for reaching things up too high, but I now have one at each end of the house , and I use them constantly. (Get the kind with the rubber cups on the end.)

Had to figure out how to make my bed too. Stuck a slippery broom handle under the side of the mattress down toward the bottom, use a bit of leverage to rest the end on a chair, stick a can of beans under the mattress on each side where the mop handle has lifted the mattress, pull out the mop handle, tuck your sheets under, remove the can of beans on each side and you don't have to lift the dang heavy mattress!

I think this is just another indicator that we're losing neurons and we're seeing subtle signs that we don't function as well as we once did. Why should forgetting words be the only sign that we're getting older? I expect to lose ability at hundreds of sub-functions.

People may think this sort of crazy, but here goes: I try to take advantage of the far too frequent occasions on which I drop things to practice good form in squatting down to pick them up. I want as much mobility as I can maintain, as long as I can maintain it ...

Thank you! I have become a klutz, especially knocking things off counters, tables, etc. - and today, I made a wonderful (expensive) salad, picked it up from the counter, and I decided I would take a bite before moving to the table, and it slipped right out of my hand, lost the salad AND my favorite salad bowl. :-( I came on-line to see what horrible disease I had, and I feel much better knowing the "disease" is aging, which happens to the best of us who live long enough. :-)

As for cleaning up the results of clumsiness, I bought a long-handled "dust pan" and broom duo, which I use ... a lot. It is SO MUCH easier than bending over to pick things up, and MUCH quicker than sweeping them into a short-handled dust pan.

Thanks for the input.
I was already upset about dropping things more abd more often.
I am in my sixties and I will handle this problem with the advises I got by reading this post.

I'm 75. In addition to constantly dropping and spilling things, I swerve into walls and sides of doorways when I walk. What is wrong with me. Should I see a neurologist? The clumsiness, etc. seems to be getting worse.

Thanks so much for a reasoned and informed article. I also am experiencing this more often and am in otherwise excellent health so it was puzzling. I too am attempting to consciously retrain myself.

Yep - this dropsy is just another irritant, along with maddening tripping due to inattention to what lies in my path and apparent precursor to shuffling (not picking feet up enough when walking). Absent mindedness is probably the most worrisome. I find things that have been put away in the wrong places! Woe. Trying to stop being enraged is the worst. Maybe the gods are testing us in development of tolerance for ourselves. La la.

Very informative piece of reading. Thankyou for taking so much trouble with research. I read all the comments and for me, taking more care, holding things with two hands, making sure I have a grip on something and generally thinking about my problem before I make any kind of movement, seems to be good common sense to solve the conundrum. Yes, it's a conundrum. When I drop something, I often think I'd like to see that in slow motion to see what went wrong. From this moment, I'll try the "think before you do" approach and if it helps, try to make it part of my life. Watch this space......

Its comforting to know this is common. Like others my mind went to worse case scenarios. Both my hubby & myself are dropping things or just not being as mindful (like I just did, pulling hot tea out of the microwave and hitting the door causing hot tea to spill on my hand). I do have a numb index finger due to an earlier spine issue and have been blaming it on that but it does not explain why my husband is dropping things also. Thanks for the information and all the great comments. I also liked the info on fingerprints, now I know why I can't swipe sometimes. Will pass this information on the next time one of my 20 something co-workers treat me like a dunce when I have trouble with swiping. ha ha

Victoria...
Nuland's book is brilliant - it is one of my favorites still on the issue of dying. But it was written 25 years ago and the science of brain physiology has been updated, changed, improved, refuted, etc. etc. I would not use a 1992 book as a reliable reference on brain or neurology information. So much has been learned since then.

Doesn't mean a lot of the rest of his book isn't worth reading.

I have been dropping things lately. I dropped a pot of hot gravy on my feet while carrying it and scalded my feet. I was in great pain and washed my feet in cold water and my daughter in law applied Colgate tooth paste . The next morning I was my old self. No loss but a lesson to ask someone else to carry hot items. I also ever thank God for I could have poured it over my legs or other parts of my body. God has shown me I have to be more cautious in my movements. I sometimes knock into things when I get up during the night to go to the toilet. Thanks for all information I retrieved from this blog. Be blessed all and be safe

Ricky - your neighbor needs to mind her own business, LOL. I, too, eat spicy food every day, though I'm a pescatarian. I love my Tabasco and Sriracha sauces, Wasabi almonds, red hot potato chips, Cajun pistachios. Can't stand bland food. Besides, spicy food is good for your heart, right?

I'm 61 and have always been a bit of a klutz, but it's been much worse lately. The other day I dropped six things before I left the house for work! And this morning I dropped my (full) hot pot on the floor in my office, soaking my pants up to the knee. I do have a long relationship with tendonitis in my hands (knitting, crocheting, and writing), and I've recently developed a small cataract, so I guess time marches on...but I'm putting up a good fight. I've always says I refuse to get old, and this just infuriates me to no end.

Thanks for the very informative post.

THANK YOU!!!! I thought it was just me and hoping and praying it was just due to getting older and nothing more serious. I recently retired and have my dream business of making dolls. I didn't want to find out something that would end my joy of doll making. I will make sure that I am consciously more aware of my grip pressure. thanks again!!!

Glad to know this, unfortunately, my memory is going too, so no matter what I do, I will still continue to drop things because in 15 minutes i will forget that I read this article, AND I will forget to remind myself to hold things tighter. I could have it tattooed on my hand but I will forget to look at my hand. I could throw away anything that I might accidentally drop, but I will forget why. So......you see.....there can be no real long term help. Of course, I could set my phone to remind me automatically every 15 minutes ,which will work until I forget to charge it up or i lose my phone. I guess i will just continue to drop things and put up with the sorry ass comments from my derelict friends, because, what else CAN I do?

Dear Ronni and commenters:

This article and the succeeding comments have been a joy to read. I'm only 58, and have started to notice that I occasionally drop things more than I used to (in fact, I don't remember dropping things at all when I was younger.) I confess, I had started to worry about something more sinister, as my grandmother had ALS, but don't think my situation is due to either a lack of attention or an underlying illness. I really do believe it is a mild degeneration of the finer motor skills, and that description really fits, at least in my case. It just rings true for me.

I love everyone's positive approach to aging - so have enjoyed hearing your stories, and I thank you for sharing your personal situations so candidly. I hope that I will live a long life, just like you all are, and that I will stay happy and joyful, like so many of you. You are a real inspiration and a treasure. Ronni, ... you've done a wonderful service to us all.

I too was dropping many items. Also had difficulty with buttoning shirt and pants. I had difficulty remembering passwords and following directions. I had difficulty putting on my pants, socks and shoes. I was confused often. I also had a severe case of constipation. I finally went to hospital thinking I may have had a silent stroke. A cat scan revealed a brain tumor glioblastoma. I am now 62 years old.The tumor caused brain swelling pressing on nerves causing these issues and many more that I have not listed. This all happened last year and the tumor was removed in November 2016 two days after the cat scan. Since then I have received radiation and chemo treatment. Most of the symptoms have disappeared with the removal of the tumor.

Thanks for all your comments and stories. Yesterday I was talking with someone in their 20's while holding a hot coffee cup in my left hand. As I gesticulated in a lively fashion, the coffee cup simply dropped all over the floor and scalded me on the way down. I felt like a complete twit. My hand just seemed to let go. I'm 70 and have noticed lately that sometimes I have dropped things for no reason. I work with beads to make jewellery and play the ukulele so hope these hand and finger movements will keep the co-ordination and grip going. Cheers to you all :)

As there are Murphy's Laws there are old age laws. Mine is, "The more difficult its to reach the floor the more things I drop".

Thanks for the article and thanks to other respondents. I'm 76 and have had one neck surgery, six back surgeries and twelve hernia surgeries over many years and I spent so much time in the hospital and in recuperation over 2016 and 2017 that I have lost most of my muscle mass. So many little things I did for years and assumed I'd be able to do forever are much more difficult or impossible now. But the thing that bothers me most is dropping things so often. I guess, as you say, I can't tell how much of a grip I have anymore. Someone mentioned that they had to concentrate and use a more pronounced grip now. That's a "me, too". However this month I started some simple "at home" exercises for seniors that are focused on increasing muscle mass in the arms and legs. I'll never be a Charles Atlas, but I might be able to pull the slide back on my side arm again and use a hammer without fear of throwing it rather than simply swinging at that nail. We should have been indoctrinated on being this old. I definitely wasn't ready. Happy new year and Thanks again.

I too have slippery fingers....no fingerprints left (now would be a good time to become a burglar!) My prints can not be recognized on scanners so I have to enter a code. I drop things on a daily basis.....I'm wondering if anyone knows of something that can be rubbed on hands like lotion that will take the smoothness away? Roughen up the fingertips a little so things don't slide out of my hands! Book covers are a real problem! I pick the book up and sure enough there it goes out of my grip onto the floor! My back should be in good shape with all the bending to pick items up off the floor but actually it's not helping the back at all! I decided to get a part time job at McDonald's to give me something to do! I worked in education for 25 years before retiring and I got bored after 7 years and went back to work....I drop at least 1 drink in a 4 hour shift a day! Usually more than one! I need something to make my fingers less smooth! Any suggestions anyone??

Over the years I have found more of my kitchen items on the floor! I sometimes am aware that my hand is about to open I try to look at my hand but before my eyes can look my hand opens. My doc told me it is from my neck/ brain. I have had 6 operations on my neck so I know there is no compression but now I guess my age is taking over! When I walk my dog I have to hook the leash to my chair for if I don't I will drop it. I don't like racing around trying to get her!!
But my memory has increased for I was sent a pic of my class pic for the 4th grade, I knew every one of the classmates and I could remember their family. So I just sit in my chair looking down and remembering all the things I have dropped over the years!!👋

Not that I want other people to be dropping things too, but nice to know I'm part of a community of droppers, lol. Last night I dropped a glass jar full of tomato sauce. Red sauce and shards of glass everywhere, sigh. I prefer the taste and healthier options of food & beverages from glass, but with the dropping issue, I will probably switch to plastic. Thanks for the helpful article.

This was incredibly helpful. Of course my first thought was that dropping things is a sign of some awful disease. And my first search came up with the usual suspects: ALS, Huntington's, etc. But what you've said makes so much sense! I feel so relieved!

Glad it’s not just me! I am 59 but I have never had a problem with dropping things until just lately. Now it seems like I drop things constantly! Also I can’t be fingerprinted with a scanner, they have to ink me. Had to be fingerprinted to get okayed to have custody of my great niece. They tried 3 times then sent me to another district to a specialist to fingerprint me. Now I know why! Thanks for the posts!😀

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I too suddenly started dropping everything... feared I had some horrid disease. I’ts normal! What a relief. The so called “golden years “ is a myth perpetrated on us. Getting old sucks.

I have found that my hands feel slipperier and things slip from my grip because I was used to my hands gripping better. I have come to the conclusion that as I age my hands do not have as much oils and sweat. The dry hands do not grip as well. If this might be your problem, try gripping a smooth glass and then soak your hands in some warm water for a minute and then lightly dry them and grip the glass again. If you're like me, you'll grip it better when you've soaked your hands in water. Because of this, I know the problem is not serious and is something I will just have to adjust to. After all, I can't be bothered to soak my hands every time I want to pick up something smooth!

I am 58 and have neuropathy in both hands and both feet,from a brain injury. I am also diabetic. My mind wanders and then focus on the present and cant remember where my mind wandered to. I have dropped so many beverages on the floor I can't count. Lately things have gotten worse. Yesterday I dropped the TV remote 6 times in 10 min. It is so annoying. I have had 2 silent strokes. I hope dropping things is a result of the above things, and not a symptom of something new.

Thank you Ronnie for taking the time and research for this article. I've been dropping things since I remember but today while making my coffee and dropping things around as usual the idea to know why came along, thank goodness for Google and bloggers like you helping people to get well informed.

God bless you for the article!

Im 53 and an avid runner, but slowly Ive been doing the same

I used to have tendinitis in my hands, and that might be playing a role.

also stress and lack of sleep

Im going to start my POT excesizes again for the hands and see about how to improve my grip