Elderly Care

Falls Prevention: Strength, Balance and Conditioning

Falls can happen to anyone, but unfortunately as you grow older falls can become more common and you are more likely to injure yourself.

Approximately 30% of adults over 65 experience one fall per year, and this figure is likely to increase as the population ages. Falls are very costly, as falls are currently the leading cause of injury- related hospitalizations in people aged 65 and over.

The most serious and costly fall related injury is a fracture to the hip. Elderly people recover slowly from hip fractures and around one third never regain complete mobility.

The good news however is that there are a number of things you can do to prevent falls and minimize your injuries if you do fall.

The first step is to be assessed by one of our physiotherapist, who use a series of assessment tools that allow us to identify any risk factors for falling and quantify the extent of balance or mobility limitations and weaknesses to any muscles.

Following our assessment, we will provide a fall prevention intervention including a supervised home based strengthening and balance exercise program. Interventions may also include (where appropriate) prescription of a particular walking aid to improve safety and stability.