As we get older many factors lead to us becoming less steady on our feet, increasing the risk of falling.

There are several reasons why falls becoming more likely as we get older, including

• Long term conditions, such as heart disease or lung problems which make us feel breathless or dizzy or even cause us to lose consciousness
• Conditions such as Diabetes or having had a stroke, which affect how easily we can feel our feet and keep our balance
• An acute problem, like a urine infection or inner ear infections, which make us less steady on our feet
• Impairments in vision or hearing affect how easy it is to keep your balance

Some factors are a natural part of the aging process. These include weaker muscles, slower reaction speeds or a reduced awareness of what our feet are doing when we can’t see them (known as Proprioception). Often, someone’s ability to do more than one thing at once, for example talk and walk, can be impaired.

Fortunately, research shows that Physiotherapy can reduce your risk of falling. Click here to see our blog post explaining some ways of reducing your risk of falling.

If you think you would benefit from a home visit to help to review your risk of falls, please have a look at our website for more information or click here to get in touch. If you’d like to know more about our falls prevention classes, click here.