Worried about a parent falling at home? This free check takes about five minutes. You’ll answer a few questions about them, walk through their home room by room, and get a clear list of what to do next, which you can print or share with the rest of the family.
About this check
The questions cover the warning signs and home hazards set out in NHS advice on falls, and the things a GP or falls clinic will ask about. The check doesn’t give a risk score, because UK guidance from NICE advises against using scoring tools to predict falls. Instead it shows which warning signs are present and what to do about each one.
If someone has fallen in the last year, the most useful next step is to speak to their GP. NICE guidance asks GPs to check whether older people have fallen in the past year, and to offer a falls assessment to those who have.
Sources: NHS: Falls and NICE guideline NG249, Falls: assessment and prevention.