Help to prevent falls

Falls are the most frequent type of injury experienced by older people. A third of people over the age of 65 and half of those over 85 have a fall every year.

But falls are not an inevitable part of getting older. A large number of falls are preventable and there’s a lot we can do to reduce the risk of falling.

We’ve put together our top tips to help you (or someone you care for). There are four sections you can read about:

Health checks including regular eyesight and hearing tests, medication reviews and foot care can all help prevent falls.

Strengthening muscles and improving balance and coordination is one of the simplest and most effective things we can do to help prevent falls.

Safe homes are incredibly important in preventing falls. There can be potential hazards in your home you may not have thought about.

Friends, family and health professionals such as your GP can all provide help and support to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Even near misses, loss of balance and trips are important warning signs. Also, if you are worried about someone else encourage them to get advice, help and support to reduce their risk of falling.

You can also download our falls prevention information sheet as a reminder.

If you want to find out whether you’re at risk of falling, take this simple online NHS falls test. 

To help someone get up safely from a fall read this information sheet.