Exercise can assist prevention of falls by improving your balance, muscle strength and spatial awareness. Exercise can be prescribed in many ways, depending on your personal goals and preferences. For example, you may prefer to exercise in a group or alone. Dance or gentle exercise to music are also popular options. You may even wish to try exercising in the water (hydrotherapy).

A falls prevention program assists people to lower the risk of falls and subsequent injury. The program consists of the following: 

• Assessment of your own personal risk of falling and whether you have a history of falls
• Education about how to set up your home and physical environment
• Advice about appropriate footwear and walking aids
• Advice about nutrition and alcohol consumption
• Education regarding your vision and eyesight
• Education about how chronic illnesses and medications may affect your balance and risk of falls
• Prescription of exercise and movement to improve your balance

Up to 30% of people aged over 65 years of age suffer a fall at least once a year. Falls can result in injury, fractures and a fear of falling again. This may result in a person participating less in social activities, housework and other aspects of life. There is a large body of scientific evidence which supports the use of exercise programs in the prevention of falls.

In Australia, a referral is not required to be able to see an allied health professional such as a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or exercise physiologist, although it is often helpful for you to bring as much information about your health history as well as any specific medical or surgical details that relate to your reason for seeing a physiotherapist. There are a few exceptions to this, where you will need to obtain a referral from your GP prior to attending our clinic. This includes:

• Workers Compensation Claims
• CTP (Third Party) Road Accident Claims
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Claims
• Medicare Claims (e.g. Chronic Disease Management referral)