Information for Individuals and Families

Balance and Mobility

Tools You Can Use

• "Are You Or A Loved One At Risk For Falls?": One-sheet PDF outlining risks, consequences and what doctors can do to help assess risks for falls. (PDF)
• “A Patient's Guide To Preventing Falls: Guideline to help identify risk factors for falling, including a form to list medicines taken and dosages. (PDF)
• A Tool Kit To Prevent Senior Falls: Fact sheets, graphs, and brochures about falls and fall prevention for older adults designed for fall prevention programs.
• Catch Yourself: Simple steps to prevent falls: One-sheet document (PDF) that outlines steps to help you "catch yourself" by reducing the risk of falling. (PDF)
• Falls and Balance Problems: Answers to common questions about falls and recommended sources for help. (PDF)
• Remembering WhenTM: Fire and Fall Prevention for Older Adults: Powerpoint presentation with photos and artwork detailing and illustrating step to prevent falls in the home. (PPT)
• “The Safe Living Guide: A Guide to Home Safety for Seniors: Guide to keeping the home and yourself safe, including nutrition checklist, medication safety checklist and more.” (PDF)
• “What Will One of Every Three Seniors Suffer This Year?: Fact about falls in older persons and an online directory of senior care pharmacists across the U.S. and Canada. (PDF)
• “You Can Prevent Falls” – Fact Sheets: Fact sheets to help assess fall prevention including improving your health, having a safe home and lifestyle and reducing the risks.
• Don't Fall For it. Falls Can be Prevented!: This booklet was developed by Stay On Your Feet - Adelaide West and National Ageing Research Institute, for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, in 2004. The booklet is aimed at community dwelling older people and their families and carers. (PDF)

Websites

• Balance Problems: This document explains balance problems and offers treatment and research options.
• Exercise for Older Adults: Provides benefits of exercise, safety, charing progress and frequently asked questions about exercise for older adults.
• National Resource Center for Safe Aging: This website contains a wealth of falls-related information for public health professionals, with links to many other useful sites.

Articles

• Tai Chi: (Chinese) Food for Thought: Research points to Tai Chi as a helpful tool in preventing falls in the aging population.
• Falls: General Information: Answers many common questions about falls and fall prevention.
• Mobility Problems: Detailed information on understanding mobility problems, when to seek professional help, and what to do to help identify and eliminate fall hazards.
• Preventing Falls One Step At A Time: Article suggesting that both improving balance through exercise and employing “fall-proofing” behaviors in and around the home will help to avoid falls and reduce risks for falls.
• Tai Chi: A New Look At An Old Exercise: Find out more about Tai chi, which is most popular with older adults who seek low impact exercise. Exercise is a key element in fall prevention.

Other

• The Hardest Part: Coldplay Music Video: Our goal at the FPCE and stopfalls.org is to make the aging population's life one that is free from falls. Better mobility and balance is a way to ensure this. This humorous video shows what are goal is for every elderly person.
• Bruno and Alice: A Love Story in Twelve Parts About Seniors and Safety: A series of twelve illustrated stories following the whimsical romance of two active seniors who, through lack of prevention, end up in awkward situations and almost miss their rendezvous with love. The stories offer insight into some of the personal preventive measures seniors can take to make their environment safer and prevent injuries.