Falls and trips
Most people who fall do not mention it to anyone. The fall gets attributed to a loose rug, or to not looking where you were going, or simply to not being as steady as you once were. But with careful assessment we can usually determine why a fall has occurred and put a plan in place to reduce the risk of falls happening in future.
There are often multiple reasons why people fall, occurring at once. This can include changes in walking or balance, a medication that lowers blood pressure too far, changes in memory and thinking, weakness or painful joints, poor vision, problems with the heart, or worry about falling again, which makes day-to-day movement more hesitant.
Each of these can be tackled, and the most useful assessment is one that considers them all together rather than one at a time.
Falls also matter because of the consequences. A fall can result in a broken bone, and it can take away confidence, which can restrict what someone feels able to do.
How Professor Henderson can help
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Working out why the falls are happening, which usually means finding more than one cause.
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Reviewing every medication, including those started for good reasons years ago, since medication is one of the most common and most correctable contributors.
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Checking blood pressure lying and standing, and heart rhythm, since a drop in blood pressure on standing is frequently missed and readily treated.
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Assessing strength, balance and walking, and advising on what will improve them.
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Assessing fracture risk and putting bone protection in place where it is needed.
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Addressing the fear of falling itself, which is treatable and too often left unmentioned.