Balance and Everyday Mobility (Falls Prevention)

What you will be able to do

• explain the main reasons falls happen and which of them can be changed.
• check a home room by room for fall hazards and choose the most important fixes.
• describe what New Zealand's guidelines recommend on strength, balance and flexibility for adults aged 65 and over.
• follow a safe home strength and balance routine and build it up gradually.
• explain how eyesight, feet, footwear, medicines, dizziness, bones and drinks affect falls.
• get up from the floor safely, or know what to do while waiting for help.
• keep a falls diary and use it to prepare for a GP appointment.

1. 1Why falls happen and why they are not inevitable

   Understand how common falls are, the main reasons they happen, and why many falls can be prevented with small, steady changes.

   • Falls are common, but they are not just part of getting older
   • The main reasons people fall
   • Fear of falling, confidence and talking about it

   When to see your GP checker

2. 2Making the home safer, room by room

   Use a simple walk-round to spot and fix the hazards behind many falls at home, from stairs and bathrooms to the route to the toilet at night.

   • Hallways, stairs and living areas
   • Bathroom, kitchen and bedroom
   • Night-time, outdoors and out and about

   Home falls hazard checklist

3. 3Strength and balance, what the guidelines say

   Learn why strength and balance exercise is the most researched way to reduce falls, what New Zealand's guidelines recommend, and how to exercise safely at home.

   • Why strength and balance exercise matters
   • Exercising safely at home

   Balance exercise cards

4. 4Your home balance routine

   Learn a 20-minute strength and balance routine using a kitchen bench and a chair, and build it into a habit on at least three days a week that you can track.

   • The routine, step by step
   • Making it a habit, and moving more every day

   Balance exercise cardsFalls diary

5. 5Health checks that lower your risk

   Find out how eyesight, feet, medicines, dizziness, bones and everyday eating and drinking affect balance, and what to ask your GP, optometrist, podiatrist or pharmacist.

   • Eyes, ears and feet
   • Medicines, dizziness and standing up slowly
   • Bones, eating and drinking for steady days

   When to see your GP checker

6. 6If a fall happens, and getting the right help

   Learn how to get up from the floor safely, what to do if you cannot, how alarms and diaries help, and how to ask your GP about a falls assessment.

   • How to get up from a fall, and what to do if you cannot
   • Alarms, key safes and keeping a falls diary
   • Talking to your GP and planning ahead

   Falls diaryWhen to see your GP checkerHome falls hazard checklist

• CheckerHome falls hazard checklistWalk round the home room by room and tick each safety point that is already in place, so you can see what to fix first.
• CardsBalance exercise cardsPrintable cards for a simple home strength and balance routine, each with set-up, how to do it, how many and how to make it easier or harder.
• TrackerFalls diaryRecord each day's exercise and any falls, trips, near misses or dizzy spells, so you can spot patterns and show your GP clear information.
• CheckerWhen to see your GP checkerTick anything that applies to you (or the person you are helping) to see whether to book a GP appointment and ask about a falls risk check.