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Help for people living at home who fall
If you are living at home and you might be at risk of a fall, there are many things that you can do:
- Remove any tripping or slipping hazards.
- Have regular check-ups with your doctor to ensure your medical conditions are well managed. Discuss any concerns you have with your doctor before they become big problems.
- Keep yourself mobile – be physically active for 30 minutes every day.
- At night, make sure you have adequate lighting.
- Eat a wide variety of foods and drink plenty of water, especially in hot weather. Maintain a healthy weight – ask your doctor or a dietician for advice.
- Stand up slowly after lying down or sitting. Take care when bending down and make sure you are steady before walking. Be especially careful when you are ill, for example with the flu.
- Wear supportive, safe footwear.
- Keep yourself up-to-date with information about your medical conditions. Some support groups and libraries have easy-to-read information.
- If you have osteoporosis, your doctor may advise calcium and vitamin D tablets, other medicines, exercise or dietary changes.
The Don't fall for it. Falls can be prevented! booklet is aimed at community-dwelling older people and their families and carers. The booklet contains information about three aspects of falls prevention:
- fall-proofing yourself,
- fall-proofing your surroundings and
- what to do in the event of a fall.
Get your free copy of the booklet by phoning (freecall) 1800 500 853.
Keep yourself mobile
Inactive or unfit people tend to have poorer balance and weaker muscles, which all increase the risk of falling. Added to this, if you feel unsteady you’re less likely to do much walking. When you walk less your muscles get weaker, your joints gets stiffer and your balance gets worse.To stay active contact:
- The Aged Care Information Line on 1800 500 853, for your free copy of ‘Choose Health: Be Active’, a physical/activity guide for older Australians’
- Commonwealth Carelink Centres, on 1800 200 422, to help find physiotherapists or accredited exercise or fitness instructors or activities in your area
- Arthritis Australia, for information about exercising with arthritis
- your local library for booklets and videos on physical fitness for older people
- your local council for information about activities in your area, and
- community health centres and day therapy centres for physiotherapy services.
Footwear
As we age, our feet can change shape and lose some feeling. This changes the way we walk and affects our balance. Also, painful or swollen feet can make it difficult to walk and some shoes or slippers can increase the chances of falls.
What you can do
- See a podiatrist or doctor if you have painful or swollen feet, tingling or pins and needles in your feet, or if you have any changes in the shape of your feet (for example, bunions).
- Wear comfortable, firm-fitting, flat shoes with a low broad heel and soles that grip.
- Don’t wear slippers that fit poorly or walk in socks.
- If you have difficulty finding suitable shoes because of foot problems, ask your podiatrist for the names of specialist shoe stores.
- Ask your podiatrist or physiotherapist to suggest ways to improve circulation, decrease swelling and reduce pain in the legs and feet.
Where you can find help or advice
- Commonwealth Carelink Centres
- Australasian Podiatry Council which can provide names of podiatrists in your area
- local community health centres and day therapy centres, which often have podiatrists.
Fall-proofing your surroundings
You can reduce the risk of a fall and make it easier to manage daily activities by making your home and surroundings as safe as possible.
These changes do not have to cost a lot. They can include:
- equipment such as rails and ramps and other home alterations may make the home safer for you
- arranging furniture simply and keeping your home uncluttered
- removing loose rugs and sealing carpet edges that may be safety hazards
- installing non-slip surfaces, and
- ensuring good, even lighting
Read more: Home design and modification
Make a plan
Make a plan of what to do in the event of a fall or another emergency. Work out:
- who to call for help,
- how you contact them, and
- how they can contact you.
Raising the alarm
There are many types of devices to raise the alarm.
Your choice of device will depend on many things, such as who can come to help, the distance over which the device works, how easy it is for you to carry and use the device, and its cost.
Read more: About personal and medical alarms
Common questions on this topic:
See all common questions