Falls prevention

As you age, your risk of falling increases. Even if you're active, you might have poor eyesight, slower reaction times, weaker muscles, or balance challenges, which can lead to falls.

Tips to prevent you from falling:

• Keep your home clutter-free: Remove obstacles, especially on stairs, to move around easily.
• Use bright lighting: High wattage bulbs can help you see better.
• Wear proper footwear: Choose well-fitting shoes or slippers.
• Ask for help: Get assistance if you need to lift something heavy.
• Regular health checks: Have regular health and eye tests.
• Eat well: Maintain a healthy diet with plenty of calcium to keep your bones strong.
• Install handrails: Place handrails in bathrooms and along stairs for extra support.
• Use non-slip mats: Put non-slip mats in the bathroom and kitchen.

Regular exercise can help to prevent falls

Doing regular, gentle exercises can help you keep your muscles strong and stay healthy. Try activities like daily walks, water aerobics, playing golf, or practicing tai chi.

• Find local sports and exercise activities near you
• If you have limited mobility:
  • See if there are chair exercise classes near you
  • The NHS website has some gentle sitting exercises you can do
  • We are unbeatable has a page on Ways To Move More With A Health Condition, finding enjoyable and accessible ways to stay active
  • Get Up and Go - a printable guide to help you reduce your risk of falls

If you fall you should lie still for a minute and check for injuries.

If you are unhurt and can get up:

1. Roll onto your side and use your arms to push yourself onto your hands and knees.
2. Find something stable to hold onto, like a heavy piece of furniture or a sink. Crawl to it if needed.
3. Place one foot flat on the floor and stand up slowly, using the stable object for support.
4. Sit down and rest to recover.

If you cannot get up:

1. Use a phone or personal alarm to call for help if you can reach it.
2. If you can't reach an alarm or phone, try to get attention by shouting or banging on a wall or the floor.
3. Keep warm while waiting for help by covering yourself with anything you can reach, like a towel, coat, rug, or blanket.
4. Keep moving your body by rolling from side to side or gently moving your arms and legs.
5. Change your position every 30 minutes to prevent pressure sores.

After your fall

When you next see your doctor or nurse, tell them about your fall. They can check whether a health problem is causing you to fall and if it's likely to happen again. If it is, they may give you medication to improve your condition.

Make sure you tell your family that you have had a fall so that they can keep an eye on you and make sure you get any treatment you might need.

You may want to get some technology and equipment to help you feel safer in your home including:

• Falls detector which allows you to alert a monitoring centre to get help if you fall
• Adding grabrails to the areas you use most

You can check out more in our equipment house and technology house.

Falls are a major health issue, particularly among adults aged 65 or older, or anyone with an impairment which affects balance and stability.

Working with Kent Community Health Trust and Involve Kent Kent County Council offer fall prevention classes to people who are at risk of, or have a history of, falling.

Visit the Kent County Council website to apply for a falls prevention course

NHS Inform - preventing falls

The NHS Inform website has helpful information on preventing falls. It explains why falls are serious, what increases the risk, and how to manage fear of falling. It also gives advice on staying healthy, managing medications, making your home safer, and what to do if you fall, along with practical tips and support.

• Preventing falls | NHS inform website