What to Do if You Fall

We understand it can be hard to stay calm when you are in pain and shock, but it is important to stay calm so you can think and react clearly. Take deep breaths and try to control and regulate your breathing. This will help you relax and get through the initial shock.

You need to figure out how severe your fall is, are you injured or not and if so, how bad? Take a minute to feel if there is any pain coming from any part of your body. Very slowly and gently try to move your arms, legs, hands and feet.

If you are injured try and stay calm. If you can figure out which parts of your body are injured without moving too much. Big movements whilst injured can worsen your condition. It is important to call for help straight away, you can do this by shouting, phone call, setting off an alarm or using an emergency medical alert device.

If your injuries are severe, you should call 999. If you are unsure how severe your injuries are call 111

If you don’t have any severe injuries but need help getting up, we recommend calling a neighbour, friend or family member close by. You want to avoid being on the floor for a long time as you may develop pain and lose heat which could lead to illness or hypothermia.

Whilst waiting for help to arrive look around to see if anything is in reaching distance to keep you warm and comfortable. This could be a blanket, pillow, cushion, coat or clothing.

If you don’t have a phone or medical alert device on you then you should try and make as much noise as possible to get someone’s attention. Try shouting, banging an object against the floor or furniture, setting off an alarm, using the tv remote to increase the TV volume or using a smart speaker to call for help.

If you are not hurt, decide if you can get up safely without help.

Get up safely by:

1. Rollover onto your side.
2. Rest and then slowly get up on your hands and knees.
3. Crawl towards a sturdy piece of furniture that you can use to help you stand up.
4. Don’t rush and have rests when needed.
5. kneel side onto the furniture with your strongest leg against it. Bring your strongest leg up so your foot is on the floor. Keep your other leg in a kneeling position.
6. With your hands on the furniture slowly push yourself up using both your arms and legs.
7. Slowly sit down onto the closest chair. Catch your breath and relax.
8. Before you move again check once more if you have any injuries.

You may want to let neighbours, friends or family members know if you’ve had a fall. Falls can lower confidence and leave you with anxiety about having another fall. If people close by to you are aware you have recently had a fall, then they can check up on you regularly to make sure you are safe, until you feel more confident again. It is recommended to let your GP know if you’ve had a fall, even if you weren’t injured by the fall.

Knowing you have a support system close by and aware of your situation can provide peace of mind and help with the emotional effects of a fall.