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Programs for falls prevention

Falls can happen to anyone, but they’re more common and more significant as we get older, as they can result in a trip to the hospital or a move into an aged care home. There are a number of programs and services that can help you to remain at home after a fall.

Transition Care Program

This program is aimed at helping you improve your independence and confidence after a hospital stay. The Transition Care Program works by providing low-intensity therapy (more information) and support as part of an ongoing but slower recovery process, giving you and your family time to determine whether you can return home with additional support from community care services, or need to consider the level of care provided by an aged care home.

Read more: About the Transition Care Program

Home and Community Care (HACC) program

This program can coordinate and provide a range of maintenance and support services that can help you manage any disabilities after a fall, and maintain your independence at home and in the community. The services are offered by a wide range of providers, such as community, private, church and charitable organisations, located throughout Australia.

Read more: About the Home and Community Care program
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National Respite for Carers Program

If you have a family member or friend who helps you continue living at home after a fall, this program lets them have a break, for a few hours or even a few days.

Read more: About National Respite for Carers Program

Home maintenance schemes

These local or state government schemes are designed to help you make your home safer and easier to manage – helping to reduce the recurrence of falls. Phone 1800 200 422 for more information.

Short-term care

Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres can organise either short-term or emergency respite services so that your carer can take a break. A carer can come to your home or you can stay temporarily in a facility. Contact 1800 200 422 during business hours or, for emergency respite support outside standard business hours, call 1800 059 059.

Carer information

Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres located across Australia provide a link to a wide range of community, aged care and support services available locally or anywhere in Australia. Centres provide information about services for older people, people with a disability, and those who provide care and services, and can also assist carers with options to take a break through short-term and emergency respite services, based on assessed need. Centres provide advice on and coordinate access to respite services in a carer’s local area.

Carer support groups provide emotional support to carers, and are sometimes organised around specific conditions. You can contact 1800 200 422 during business hours or, for emergency respite support outside standard business hours, call 1800 059 059.

Carers Australia represents carers of people with a disability, mental illness, chronic condition or those who are frail or aged. It also provides information, support, education, training and counselling for carers.

Getting financial help

To find out if you are eligible for financial assistance, contact:

Community programs

It is always a good idea to contact your local community health centre, health promotion or public health unit to find out what programs they may have for preventing falls, or support for people who have fallen. For contact details of your centre or unit, look in the state or territory government section of your local White Pages.

Help through your doctor

Some older people are more likely to fall than others, especially if they’ve fallen in the past six months, but there are many things you can do to reduce your risk of falling. Most falls are preventable!

Talk to your doctor about any falls you’ve had. Don’t just dismiss them as clumsiness. Falls can be a sign of a new medical problem, muscle weakness, balance problems or medication side effects. It will help your doctor if you give him or her information about where you fell, the time of day you fell, what you were doing and how you were feeling just before the fall. Your family may be able to fill in the details if you can’t remember.

Read more: Am I at risk of a fall?
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This page was last updated on: 30 June 2011