Falls Prevention for Older Adults in West London

A fall can knock your confidence as much as your body. Many people start doing less after a fall, which makes their legs weaker and another fall more likely. The good news is that the right exercise, done regularly, really does lower the risk.

Why falls happen

There is rarely one single cause. Most falls come from a mix of things:

• weaker leg muscles, especially around the hips and thighs
• poorer balance, so a small trip turns into a fall
• dizziness when standing up, sometimes linked to medicines
• problems with eyesight or feeling in the feet
• things in the home, such as loose rugs, poor lighting or steep stairs
• fear of falling, which makes people move stiffly and less often

What really helps

The strongest evidence is for exercise that works on strength and balance together, done regularly and made gradually harder over a few months. Gentle walking alone is good for general health, but it does not do enough for balance. The exercises need to challenge you safely, a little more each week.

Home visits are a good way to do this. The exercises can be fitted around your own furniture, so you always have something steady to hold, and they can be practised in the places where you are most likely to fall.

What a home falls assessment covers

• how strong your legs are and how well you balance
• how you get up from a chair, the bed and the toilet
• how you manage your stairs, steps and the front door
• whether a walking aid would help, and whether the one you have is the right height
• simple changes to the home that make a fall less likely
• what to do if you do fall, including how to get up safely or stay warm while you wait for help

Flats, stairs and busy pavements

West London brings its own challenges. Many people live in tall terraced houses with steep stairs, or in flats where the lift is not always working. Getting to the shops can mean crowded pavements, kerbs and buses. A falls programme at home can include practice on your own stairs and, when you are ready, short walks outside to rebuild confidence where you need it.

After a fall or a hospital stay

If you have had a fall, or have just come home from hospital, it is worth starting soon. The weeks after a fall are when people tend to lose strength fastest, and when a little help goes a long way. If a fall has caused new pain, a head injury or you cannot put weight on a leg, see a doctor first.

Who you will see

Falls prevention across West London is with Rits Rana, a chartered physiotherapist who previously led an NHS community team for older people's and neurological physiotherapy. Building strength, balance and confidence in older people at home is a large part of her everyday work. She also visits care and nursing homes.

Home visits across West London

Falls prevention at home is available in Ealing, Hammersmith, Chiswick, Richmond, Twickenham, Hounslow and across West London.

Related pages: falls prevention in Chiswick and in Richmond.

About Rits Rana

Rits Rana is a chartered physiotherapist (HCPC PH106489, MCSP 119421) providing home visit physiotherapy across Ealing, Hammersmith, Chiswick, Richmond, Twickenham, Hounslow and across West London, and runs an independent mobile practice, Mobile Rehab. Her specialist ground is complex neurological rehabilitation: stroke, brain injury, Parkinson's, MS and motor neurone disease. Alongside that she works with older adults on strength, balance and falls, and treats muscle and joint problems at NHS Band 7 level. She assesses and diagnoses directly, so there is no wait for a GP referral before treatment can start.

Read Rits's profile or call 07818 106406.

Please mention Mobile Physiotherapist.co.uk when you call.