Falls Prevention

• Doing strength exercises and balance exercises twice a week can reduce your risk of having a fall.
• Make your home safer by removing potential slip and trip hazards and ensuring rooms are well lit.
• Low blood pressure, also known as hypotension, can cause unsteadiness, dizziness or fainting. If you have low blood pressure, take your time when standing up, avoid standing for long periods of time, stay well hydrated and eat smaller meals more often.
• Wear well-fitting shoes and slippers that are in good condition and support the ankle. Avoid wearing soft, floppy, loose-fitting or open-backed slippers because these can cause trips.
• Take care of your feet by trimming toenails regularly and see a GP or chiropodist about any foot problems.
• Drinking alcohol can lead to loss of co-ordination and exaggerate the effects of some medicines. This can significantly increase the risk of a fall, particularly in older people. Avoiding or reducing alcohol intake can reduce the risk of falls
• Have your medications reviewed by your GP at least once a year. This is especially important if you take more than four medicines a day.
• Have your eyesight tested each year.

For further details about ways to reduce your risk of having a fall visit The NHS Choices website.

General advice

Get Up and Go - A Guide to Staying Steady - The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

How to reduce your risk of falling video - Age UK

A Practical Guide to Healthy Ageing - Age UK

Getting up after a fall - The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Staying Active

Strength and balance exercises - The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Exercises to improve balance and muscle strength - The Royal Osteoporosis Society

Video library of strength and balance exercises – Later Life Training

Active at Home booklet - Public Health England

Getting active at home for older adults - Energise Me

You may need to start with seated exercises online or in your local area before progressing to standing strength and balance exercises

Self-Assessment and support

Falls self-assessment, support and advice - Falls Assistant – NHS

Stay Active fit and healthy - Active Lives

Classes to improve strength and balance and avoid falls. Find your local class.

If you enjoy dance and want to improve your balance and strength, then Steady and Strong Dance classes could be perfect for you.

The classes combine choreographed movements with strength and balance exercises to make a class fun.

Find out about Steady and Strong Dance.

If you have had a fall in the last three months you may be eligible for support through the NHS, which can include NHS balance classes. Please talk to your GP about local NHS falls services in your area.

Falls Friends Champions are volunteers or professionals who increase awareness about preventing falls amongst their communities by delivering Falls Friends talks. The talks explain the causes of falls and how to reduce risks, to enable people to continue to live healthy and independent lives.

Falls Friends talks are designed for anyone interested in helping to prevent someone from falling. They explore the potential causes of falls; such as medication, vision impairment, trip hazards, hydration and how to minimise these risks. The sessions last one hour and are suitable for people concerned about family members or friends, or their own risk of falling. Our Falls Friends talks are now running online. Please see details on how to attend.

Champions receive half a day’s training, as well as all the resources they need to deliver the talks. If you would like to become a Falls Friends Champion, please email FallsPrevention@hants.gov.uk