After a fall

Your elderly parent keeps falling. Here is what to do next.

If your elderly parent keeps falling, you are past hoping it was a one-off. Repeated falls are a pattern, and patterns have causes a doctor can find and reduce. This page covers what you do in the first hour, what you do this week, and what covers the hours when nobody is there.

Straight after a fall

Do not rush your parent up off the floor. Check them where they lie. Take one calm minute before anyone moves.

Call 000 now if any of this is true

  • They hit their head. A head knock is an emergency for anyone on a blood thinner, even when they feel fine.
  • They lost consciousness, even for a moment, or they cannot remember the fall.
  • They are bleeding, or they are in severe pain.
  • A leg will not take weight, or a limb looks the wrong shape.
  • They are confused, drowsy or not making sense, and that is new.
  • They cannot get up, or you cannot help them up safely.

healthdirect says to call triple zero and ask for an ambulance after a severe fall. Its head injury and fracture pages describe most of the signs above. When you are unsure, make the call.

If none of that applies, help them up the slow way

Do not lift your parent yourself. Lifting a fallen adult can injure both of you. Let them do the work while you steady them and bring a chair.

  • Ask them to roll onto their side and rest.
  • Ask them to crawl or shuffle to the chair.
  • Ask them to kneel facing the chair, bring one foot forward, then push up with their arms and turn to sit.
  • Let them rest sitting down before they stand.

NSW Health publishes this sequence as a visual guide, and suggests practising it before it is needed. If your parent cannot get up, do not drag them. Put a blanket over them and a cushion under their head, then call for help.

Then, the same day

  • Watch them closely. healthdirect says someone should stay with them for 24 hours after a head injury. Vomiting, a worsening headache or new confusion means emergency care.
  • Book the GP within a few days, even with no injury at all.
  • Say the word fall to the receptionist and to the doctor. Do not soften it to a slip.
  • Write down where it happened, the time, what they were doing, and what they had on their feet.

That note sounds fussy. It is what the GP needs, because your parent will remember it as "I just went over".

Why your parent keeps falling

One fall can be bad luck. Two or more is a pattern. healthdirect says a person who has fallen more than once in the past six months is more likely to fall again. Being more careful does not fix a pattern, which is what most parents promise and most families accept.

The causes stack. Any one of them alone might not tip your parent over. Together they do.

  • Medicines. Sleeping tablets, strong pain relief, some antidepressants and some blood pressure medicines cause drowsiness or unsteadiness.
  • Blood pressure dropping on standing. Your parent stands up and goes light-headed. Doctors call this postural hypotension, and it can come from a condition or a medicine.
  • Weaker legs and worse balance. This creeps in across years, so nobody notices the day it crosses the line.
  • Eyes and ears. Cataracts, glare and glasses left unchecked change what your parent sees underfoot, and a hazard has to be heard to be avoided.
  • Feet and shoes. Painful feet, numb feet and loose slippers all change how a person walks.
  • Rushing to the toilet. Bladder urgency sends people down the hallway faster than they can safely walk.
  • Health conditions. Stroke, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and diabetes each change movement, reaction time or feeling in the feet.
  • Fear of falling. After a fall your parent moves less, gets weaker, and is more likely to fall again. NSW Health names this loop.
  • The house. Lighting, loose mats, cords, steps and wet floors.

This week: ask the GP for a falls assessment

Ask the GP, in these words, for a falls risk assessment. This is the highest-value thing you can do, and it beats any gadget. The doctor works through the causes above instead of guessing at one.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care publishes falls guidelines covering balance, mobility, medicines, vision and footwear. A good assessment follows that shape.

What a good assessment covers

  • Every medicine. Ask about a Home Medicines Review, where a credentialed pharmacist checks what your parent takes at home. Bring the boxes, including those from other doctors.
  • Blood pressure sitting and standing. This is what catches the dizzy moment on getting up.
  • Vision. An optometrist check, glasses reviewed each year, and a word about cataracts if they are there.
  • Hearing. A hearing test, for the same reason.
  • Feet and footwear. A podiatrist for painful, swollen or numb feet, and shoes that hold the foot indoors as well as out.
  • Strength and balance. A physiotherapist referral or a local balance class. healthdirect says there is evidence that balance and movement exercise can prevent harm from falls.
  • Bone health. Ask whether vitamin D and calcium would help. That is a question for the doctor, not something to start on your own.
  • Continence. Say it plainly if your parent is hurrying to the toilet. Some causes are treatable, and hurrying to the toilet is a falls cause.

Take your written notes to the appointment, and ask for a longer booking.

Make the house safer this month

Falls often happen at home, on routes your parent walks every day. Walk the house with fresh eyes. Better, ask the GP for an occupational therapist home assessment, which turns guesswork into a short list for that house.

The night path

The route from bed to bathroom causes an outsized share of falls. Light it end to end. Sensor lights beat a switch your parent has to find in the dark.

The floor

  • Remove loose mats and rugs, including the sentimental ones. Give any that stay a slip-resistant backing.
  • Tape cords along the skirting board.
  • Keep walkways clear of clutter and shopping bags.
  • Mark small changes in floor level with a contrasting colour.

Steps, bathroom and kitchen

  • Handrails on stairs, both sides where you can, and a light switch at the top and bottom.
  • Non-skid tread or paint on the edge of each step.
  • A grab rail in the shower and beside the toilet. Watch where your parent's hand already goes; that is where the rail belongs.
  • A non-slip mat in the shower, and a shower seat if standing is tiring.
  • Everyday kitchen items at waist height, so nobody climbs or stoops.
  • Outside, clear moss and leaves off the paths, and light the way from the car.

NSW Health publishes a room-by-room home safety checklist. Print it, walk the house with it, and fix the cheap things that weekend.

The hours nobody can cover

Assessments and rails reduce falls. They do not reach zero. Someone who has fallen before can fall again with nobody in the house. The danger is the hours on the floor afterwards, and that is the problem monitoring exists to solve.

healthdirect lists a personal alarm as part of a falls prevention plan, so your parent can call for help quickly. NSW Health adds the parts families forget. Keep a phone within reach on a low table. Keep the numbers that matter beside it. Make sure someone trusted can get into the house.

When a pendant or a watch is the right answer

A wearable suits a parent who will wear it, charge it and press it. It also works away from home, which no in-home sensor does. If your parent is out and about and happy to wear one, start there.

When a passive in-home sensor makes more sense

A passive sensor suits the parent who agrees to a pendant and then leaves it in a drawer. It detects a fall and alerts the family with nothing to wear, charge or remember. It covers the shower and the small hours, when a wearable is usually off.

Be clear-eyed about it. Monitoring does not prevent a fall. It shortens the time before help arrives. It is a wellbeing and safety aid, not a medical device, and no device detects every fall.

The honest device comparison puts every type side by side, and is a smartwatch enough answers the question most families start with. The two minute quiz narrows it to your parent, and the cost guide compares a subscription against owning the sensor. Whichever you pick, set up the response plan first, because an alert that reaches nobody in particular helps nobody.

Paying for it: My Aged Care, Support at Home and the NDIS

Families stall at cost. In most cases a funded path exists, and which one applies comes down to age.

  • Aged 65 and over. Start at My Aged Care and ask for an assessment. Name the falls directly, and say how often. Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages in November 2025 and covers clinical supports such as occupational therapy and podiatry.
  • Equipment and home changes. The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme sits inside Support at Home. It covers equipment and changes to the house, such as handrails in the bath or shower.
  • Under 65 with disability. The NDIS funds assistive technology where it relates to the disability and the plan goals.

Which path applies to your parent, and what to say when you ask, is set out in the government funding guide, including what happened to Home Care Package funds and how the Support at Home AT-HM tiers work.

Where this comes from

The official sources behind this page:

Common questions

What should I do first after an elderly parent falls?

Check your parent before you move them. Call 000 if they hit their head, take a blood thinner, are bleeding, have severe pain, cannot bear weight, seem confused, or cannot get up. Otherwise help them up slowly, watch them all day, and book the GP within a few days. See the GP even when your parent feels fine.

Should my parent go to hospital after a fall?

Call 000 or go to emergency for a head knock, loss of consciousness, bleeding, severe pain, confusion, or a leg that will not take weight. A head knock is an emergency for anyone on a blood thinner. Otherwise a prompt GP visit is the right path. When you are unsure, have them checked.

How do I help my parent up off the floor?

Do not lift them yourself, because lifting a fallen adult can injure both of you. Let them do the work while you steady them. NSW Health sets out the sequence. Roll onto the side, crawl to a chair, then kneel. Bring one foot forward, push up with the arms, and rest before standing. If they cannot get up, keep them warm and call for help.

Why does my elderly parent keep falling?

Repeated falls come from several small causes stacking up. healthdirect lists medicine side effects, blood pressure dropping on standing, weaker legs and balance, changing eyesight, painful feet, poor footwear, incontinence and hazards at home. Any one alone might not tip your parent over. Together they do, which is why a GP falls assessment works through the list.

My elderly mother keeps falling but says she is fine. What do I do?

Book the GP anyway and go with her. Falls get under-reported because they feel embarrassing, and a fall with no injury still tells the doctor something is changing. Ask for a longer appointment and say the visit is about falls. Getting a parent to accept help is its own problem, and our sister site Check on Mum covers that conversation.

What is a falls assessment and how do we get one?

It is a structured review of what contributes to falling. That means medicines, blood pressure sitting and standing, vision, hearing, strength and balance, feet and footwear, continence and the home. Ask the GP directly for a falls risk assessment. It leads to referrals such as a physiotherapist, a podiatrist, or an occupational therapist for the house.

How do I make my parent's home safer after falls?

Light the night path from bed to bathroom, remove loose mats, tape down cords, clear walkways, and put rails where your parent already steadies themselves. Add non-skid tread to step edges and a grab rail in the shower. NSW Health publishes a room-by-room home safety checklist to walk the house with.

Will a fall alarm stop my parent falling?

No, and it matters to be honest about that. Monitoring does not prevent a fall. It shortens the time before help arrives, so your parent is not on the floor for hours. It is a wellbeing and safety aid, not a medical device, and no device detects every fall.

Who pays for a personal alarm or fall sensor in Australia?

The pathway depends on age. From 65, start at My Aged Care and ask for an assessment, naming the falls directly. Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages in November 2025, and the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme sits inside it. Under 65 with disability, the NDIS funds assistive technology tied to the plan goals.

This page is general information for families, not medical advice. Decisions about falls, medicines and assessments belong with your parent's GP. In an emergency, call 000. More background lives in the full fall monitoring guide.

Worried about the next one?

Tell us about your parent and the home. If monitoring is not the right next step for your family, we will say so.

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