On steady ground: preventing falls on World Physiotherapy Day

Monday 8 September is World Physiotherapy Day. This year, the theme is ‘Healthy Ageing’, with a focus on helping to prevent falls.  

Falls can have a serious impact on anyone’s health, wellbeing, and rehabilitation. But they become more dangerous with age. This is especially true for anyone with mobility or coordination issues, both commonly experienced by people with brain injuries. 

So, this World Physiotherapy Day, we wanted to share some fall prevention tips from our physiotherapists. They help our support workers and clinicians keep the people we support safe, and they’ll be useful for all ages. 

Why do falls happen? 

Trailing charger wires, socks on slippery floors, even not drinking enough – these are all risk factors for falls.

Jenny Woodgate, our Clinical Lead for Physiotherapy, said: “Falls can happen anywhere and to anyone. So, preventing falls is a shared responsibility. It involves creating a safe environment, removing obstacles, and most importantly encouraging physical activity to maintain or improve strength and balance.”

Four top tips 

Exercise and staying aware of our environments is a great start. But there are more specific tips that our physiotherapists were keen to share:

1. Footwear and clothing: Tripping over trailing clothing or slipping while walking in socks is a common fall hazard. Make sure that footwear and clothing are secure; not just for the vulnerable person but for whoever’s caring for them too.
2. Hydration: By now, most people have heard about how important it is to stay hydrated. It’s good for your skin and it gives you more energy! That energy is vital for staying alert, coordinated and avoiding falls, especially for older people. It might be worth buying that reusable water bottle after all – for yourself or someone you care for.
3. Take it slow: A very common cause of falls for all ages is rushing. We’ve all done it: running for the bus, dashing to the toilet, hopping down the stairs. It’s easy to catch yourself on an unseen obstacle and hit the ground. Hard. Giving yourself or someone you support enough time to do things like going to the toilet can really help everyone stay steady.
4. Stay active: Jenny mentioned this already. But it’s worth repeating. Keeping active can help build stronger bones and muscles, sleep better, and improve cognitive function. All these can help prevent falls. Even just a short walk to the shops can make a difference.

No matter what

The risk of falls is real. This is especially true for the people we support at Brainkind. But our expert colleagues help people to rise to the additional challenges of life after brain injury – including increased risk of falls– with a strong community behind them.

If you would like to find out more about Brainkind’s work in physiotherapy and beyond, click here.