Slips, Trips and Falls: Risks for Older Adults and Prevention Strategies for Care Settings

Slips, trips, and falls are among the most common—and preventable—accidents in care homes. For older adults or those with limited mobility, a fall can lead to serious injuries, loss of independence, and emotional distress.

Slips occur when there’s not enough friction between a person’s foot and the floor. For instance, a resident walking through a hallway where a drink was spilled. The wet floor causes their shoe to slide, leading to a loss of balance.

As caregivers, your role in reducing these risks is vital. Slips, trips, and falls refer to common workplace accidents that occur when individuals lose their balance due to hazards in their environment. 

In the UK, they cause more than a third of all serious injuries at work—about 32% of non-fatal injuries in 2022/23, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). That’s around 179,520 people getting hurt just from slipping or tripping on the same level.

Falls are the second biggest cause of accidental deaths around the world, with about 684,000 people dying each year. Adults aged 60 and over are especially at risk.

This article explains slips, trips, and falls and highlights major fall prevention techniques within care settings.

We also delve into NICE guidelines and the responsibilities of healthcare workers, especially in protecting older people who are vulnerable.

📚Related: Falls Prevention Online Training

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Table of contents

Defining Slips, Trips and Falls

Slips

Slips occur when traction is lost between the footwear and the walking surface, causing imbalance. This often results from wet, greasy or icy flooring. This means, a slip happens when your foot loses grip on the ground, such as when the floor is wet or slippery. You might slide or slide sideways.

Examples of Slip: A resident walking through a hallway where a drink was spilled. The wet floor causes their shoe to slide, leading to a loss of balance.

How to Prevent Slips:

  • Clean Spills Quickly: Immediately clean up any spills, wet spots, or leaks to avoid slippery surfaces.
  • Use Warning Signs: Put up clear signs like “Wet Floor” in areas that are slippery or recently cleaned.
  • Wear Proper Footwear: Encourage wearing non-slip shoes with good grip, especially in areas prone to wetness.
  • Maintain Floors: Regularly inspect and repair floors, fix loose mats, or install non-slip surfaces as needed.
  • Keep Workspaces Tidy: Make sure walkways are clear of clutter, like cables and boxes, to prevent tripping.
  • Provide Good Lighting: Ensure all areas, including stairs and walkways, are well-lit to spot potential hazards.
International Safety quote on Slips and trips

Trips

A trip happens when you stumble over something in your path, like a rock, a rug, or a step that you didn’t see. A trip causes a loss of balance as you walk. Most trips happens as a result of having an object on the way or uneven flooring.

How to Prevent Trips from Happening

As a health and social care staff, the way to prevent trips from happening means taking steps to get rid of dangers and keep places safe, like at work or home. You can prevent trips from happening these ways:

  • Keep walkways clear: Make sure paths where people walk are tidy, with no boxes, cables, or stuff in the way that could make you trip.
  • Put in good lighting: Add bright lights everywhere, especially on stairs, in hallways, and around corners, so you can see things and not trip over them.
  • Check and fix floors: Look at floors often to find bumpy bits, loose tiles, or curled-up rugs, and fix them quickly so no one trips.
  • Shut drawers and cabinets: Close drawers and cabinet doors when you’re done with them, so people don’t bump into them and fall.
  • Wear the right shoes: Put on shoes that hold your feet well and don’t slip, so you can walk steadily on all kinds of floors.
  • Keep things easy to reach: Put stuff you use a lot on shelves you can get to without climbing or stretching, so you don’t fall.
  • Use handrails and step stools: Hold onto handrails on stairs and use step stools to reach high spots, instead of wobbly things like chairs.
  • Make safety rules: Check for dangers often, teach people how to avoid trips, and make plans to keep everything safe and tidy.

When you do these things, you can reduce the risk of trips and make places safer for everyone and importantly, the older people.

Preventing slips, trips and falls

Falls

Falls result when the body loses balance completely after slipping or tripping and is unable to arrest descent. Falling to the floor or ground often leads to injury.

How to Prevent Falls

Preventing falls, especially for older people, means helping them make changes to how they live, their home, and their health. Here are some easy ways to help avoid falls:

Lifestyle Changes

  • Stay active: Encourage regular exercise like walking, tai chi, or exercises that improve balance and strength. This helps them move better and stay flexible.
  • Wear the right shoes: Choose strong, well-fitting shoes with non-slip soles. Avoid high heels and loose slippers.
  • Eat well: Make sure they eat foods that are good for their bones, like those with calcium, and get enough vitamin D.
  • Drink enough water: Drinking enough water helps prevent dizziness.

Home Changes

  • Remove dangers: Keep the home tidy, make sure rugs don’t slip, and keep wires out of the way.
  • Make the house brighter: Use bright lights, motion-sensor lights, or glow-in-the-dark switches in hallways, stairs, and outside areas.
  • Add safety features: Install grab bars in bathrooms, handrails on stairs, and use non-slip mats in showers or baths.
  • Organise things: Keep items they use every day within easy reach, so they don’t need to climb or stretch.

Health Tips

  • Regular check-ups: Encourage regular eye and hearing tests to check for problems with vision or balance.
  • Check their medication: Talk to a doctor to make sure their medicine isn’t affecting their balance or coordination.
  • Use helpful devices: If needed, suggest using a cane, walker, or personal alarm for added safety and stability.

By following these tips, older people can reduce the chance of falling and feel safer at home and in daily activities.

Check out our face to face Fall Prevention Training and learn about the course content.

Statistics on Slips, Trips and Falls

Slips, trips and falls lead to high rates of hospitalisation, disability, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life among older adults.

Key falls statistics include:

  • Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for those aged 65+, responsible for over 36,000 elder deaths annually in the UK.
  • Over 435,000 people aged 65+ visit the UK hospitals each year due to falls. This equates to about 1,200 admissions per day.
  • Around 24% of UK care home residents fall each year. Falls account for 40% of all deaths from injury in care facilities.
  • The cost to the NHS from falls by seniors exceeds £2.3 billion per year and is projected to surpass £3.6 billion by 2030.

Falls are a big problem that can cause a lot of harm. This is why it is important to take steps to prevent falls, especially in places where people are being cared for.

Table summarising the slips, trips, and falls (STFs) injuries in the UK over the last five years:

YearTotal Non-Fatal Workplace Injuries% Due to Slips, Trips, & FallsInjuries from STFsNotes
2023/24665,663~33%~219,669Self-reported through Labour Force Survey (LFS) and RIDDOR.
2022/23621,64532%~198,926Includes both self-reported and company-reported injuries.
2021/22627,481~33%~207,068Pandemic recovery year with mixed reporting.
2020/21492,22941%~201,812Lower numbers due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
2019/20756,543~33%~249,659Pre-pandemic data showing higher injury rates.
Slips, Trips, and Falls Statistics (2019/20 – 2023/24)

What are the main Legislation for slips trips and falls in the UK?

In the UK, the main regulation and law that covers slips, trips, and falls is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA), which is the main rule. This law explains that employers must look after the health and safety of their workers and anyone else who might be there, like visitors.

They have to check for risks—such as wet floors or bad lighting—and fix them so no one gets injured.

This is supported by more specific laws:

  • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – Requires employers to carry out risk checks, take actions to prevent problems, and give health and safety training.
  • The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 – Covers workplace conditions, including:
    • Regulation 12: Condition of floors and walkways
    • Regulation 13: Falls or falling objects
    • Regulation 17: Organisation of walkways
  • The Work at Height Regulations 2005 – Covers any work where there is a risk of falling from a height, requiring proper planning, supervision, and the use of the right equipment.
  • The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 – Requires warning signs in areas where slips and trips might happen.
  • The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) – Requires employers to report serious workplace accidents, including slips, trips, and falls.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) makes sure these rules are followed and gives advice on how to comply. Employers have a legal duty to make sure the health, safety, and welfare of their workers and others are protected, which includes stopping slip, trip, and fall risks.

Prevention fall due to wet floors.

What are the main responsibilities of employees regarding slip trip and fall hazards in healthcare setting?

In healthcare settings, employees have special duties to help prevent slips, trips, and falls because of the unique environment and the people they care for.

Their main duties include:

1. Being aware of the environment – Be careful about hazards specific to healthcare, like IV tubing, medical equipment cables, and spills of bodily fluids.

Patient-related duties:

  • Check fall risks for patients.
  • Take action to prevent falls based on the risk level.
  • Make sure patients can reach call bells/assistance buttons.
  • Give patients clear instructions about their movement limits.
  • Use the right help when moving or lifting patients.

2. Cleaning spills quickly – Clean up spills (like medications, bodily fluids, or water) right away, which are common in healthcare.

Managing equipment:

  • Store and place medical equipment correctly to avoid blocking walkways.
  • Make sure cables and tubes are secured and not in the way.
  • Put equipment back in its storage area when not in use.

3. Proper documentation – Write down fall risk checks, prevention actions, and any accidents that happen.

4. Using reporting systems – Use incident reporting systems to note near misses and actual falls to improve safety.

5. Taking part in training – Join healthcare training on patient handling, preventing falls, and risk checking.

Communication duties:

  • Tell other staff about fall risks during shift changes.
  • Make sure fall risk status is clear (e.g., with colored wristbands or signs on doors).
  • Warn colleagues about temporary dangers.

6. Managing personal protective equipment (PPE) – Make sure used PPE doesn’t cause trip hazards, especially when it’s changed often.

7. Medication awareness – Know how medications can affect fall risks and monitor patients for this.

These duties follow the general rules in the Health and Safety at Work Act, but they are tailored to the special needs and risks in healthcare, focusing on protecting both staff and vulnerable patients.

Common Causes of Slips, Trips and Falls

Homes

Slip Hazards

  • Wet floors from spills, cleaning, or water brought inside
  • Shiny or waxed floors
  • Smooth bathroom surfaces (bathtubs, shower floors)
  • Spilled liquids in kitchens
  • Icy paths and steps in winter

Trip Hazards

  • Clutter and things in walkways
  • Electrical cords across paths
  • Loose or curled carpet edges and rugs that don’t have non-slip backing
  • Bumpy changes between different types of flooring
  • Bad lighting in hallways, stairs, and entrances
  • Toys or pet items on the floor
  • Furniture sticking out into walkways

Fall Hazards

  • Wobbly chairs or stools used for reaching high places
  • Stairs without handrails
  • No grab bars in bathrooms
  • Broken step stools and ladders or using them wrongly
  • Balconies and decks that aren’t well maintained
  • Rugs that aren’t fixed down

Construction & Manufacturing

Slip Hazards

  • Oil, grease, and chemical spills
  • Water from work or weather
  • Dust or powder on floors
  • Smooth metal floors
  • Recently cleaned floors without warning signs
  • Muddy outdoor areas

Trip Hazards

  • Tools and materials left in walkways
  • Uneven work floors
  • Waste or rubbish left around
  • Cords, hoses, and cables across walkways
  • Changes in floor height not marked clearly
  • Poor cleaning habits
  • Materials and equipment stored wrongly

Fall Hazards

  • Edges and openings that are not protected
  • Scaffolding that is built wrong
  • No fall protection systems
  • Using ladders the wrong way
  • Broken or damaged equipment
  • Not enough barriers or guardrails
  • Poor lighting in work areas and exits
  • Using equipment without the right training
  • Rushing to meet deadlines

Care Homes

Slip Hazards

  • Spilled food or drink in dining areas
  • Recently mopped or waxed floors
  • Wet floors from incontinence
  • Bathrooms and showers with no non-slip surfaces
  • Smooth floors chosen for easy cleaning

Trip Hazards

  • Medical equipment and cords
  • Walkers, wheelchairs, and other aids in hallways
  • Personal items left in the way
  • Furniture placed badly
  • Small changes in floor height or tiny steps
  • Handrails or grab bars in the wrong places

Fall Hazards

  • Beds that can’t be adjusted to the right height
  • Wrong ways of moving people from bed to chair to toilet
  • Shoes that don’t fit or aren’t safe
  • Medication side effects causing dizziness or confusion
  • Unstable furniture that people use to hold on to
  • Not enough staff to watch over residents
  • No right equipment to help people move
  • Bad lighting, especially at night

Hospitals

Slip Hazards

  • Spills from IV fluids, medicines, or body fluids
  • Recently cleaned floors in busy areas
  • Wet areas near equipment for cleaning
  • Wet spots around sinks and in bathrooms
  • Shiny floors

Trip Hazards

  • IV poles and tubes
  • Electrical cords from medical machines
  • Cables and wires from monitors
  • Personal items left around patient beds
  • Medical carts and equipment in hallways
  • Changes in floor height between rooms
  • Bed sheets or curtains on the floor

Fall Hazards

  • Patients getting confused because of the hospital environment
  • Effects of anaesthesia, sedation, or medication
  • Weak patients
  • Wrong use of bed rails
  • Not checking patients properly for fall risks
  • Not enough help when moving patients
  • Poor communication about what patients can do
  • Not enough training for staff on how to stop falls
  • Rushing during emergencies
  • Incorrect bed or toilet height
  • Badly designed bathrooms
Slips falls and trips understanding

Risk Factors That Can Lead to Falls in Older Adults

Falls in older people often happen because of many different reasons. Here are the main things that can cause an older person to fall:

Physical Factors

  • Weak muscles, especially in the legs
  • Problems with balance and walking
  • Stiffness or difficulty moving parts of the body
  • Long-term health problems like Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, or stroke
  • Poor eyesight, like cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration
  • Foot problems or wearing the wrong shoes
  • Numbness or tingling in the feet
  • Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
  • Having to rush to the toilet

Medication-Related Factors

  • Taking lots of different medicines
  • Medicines to help sleep or calm down
  • Medicines for blood pressure that can cause dizziness when standing up
  • Medicines for depression or mental health problems
  • Water pills (diuretics) that make you need to go to the toilet more
  • Painkillers that can make you dizzy or confused

Environmental Factors

  • Poor lighting in the home
  • Clutter or things in the way
  • No handrails on stairs or in bathrooms
  • Loose rugs or uneven floors
  • Slippery floors in bathrooms or kitchens
  • Wearing the wrong shoes (like loose slippers or high heels)
  • Hazards outside, like uneven paths or wet ground

Cognitive and Psychological Factors

  • Fear of falling, which can make people stop moving and become weaker
  • Memory problems or conditions like dementia that affect judgment and awareness
  • Feeling down (depression), which can make it hard to pay attention and have energy
  • Taking risks or thinking you can do more than you can
  • Not realising your own limits or the dangers around you

Lifestyle and Behavioural Factors

  • Not being active, which weakens the body
  • Not eating well or drinking enough water
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Rushing to get things done
  • Not sleeping well, which makes you tired and less alert

Social and Economic Factors

  • Living alone with no one to help or check on you
  • Not being able to see a doctor or get healthcare
  • Not being able to afford changes to the home or helpful devices
  • Not having family or friends to help with daily tasks

Knowing these risk factors is important to help create ways to stop falls in older adults. A full fall risk check should look at many of these different factors.

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Why Falls Are Dangerous for Older People

As people get older, falls can be very risky because:

  • Bones become weaker and break more easily, like hips and wrists.
  • Older individuals often take more medicines, which can sometimes cause dizziness or tiredness, increasing the risk of falls.
  • Fading eyesight and hearing can make it more challenging for seniors to notice potential dangers.
  • Slower reflexes mean they can’t react as quickly to regain balance when they start to fall.
  • Joint pain or stiffness, particularly in knees or hips, can affect their balance.

Falls can lead to various problems for older people, such as:

  • Broken hips, wrists, head injuries, bruises, and sprains.
  • The need for hospitalisation, surgeries, infections, and long bed rest, which weakens muscles.
  • A loss of confidence, worries about falling, avoiding certain activities, and becoming more isolated.
  • Health issues like blood clots, pneumonia, and pressure sores from not moving.
  • Having to use walking aids, wheelchairs, or needing more help.
  • Less ability to do everyday tasks like getting dressed, bathing, and using the toilet.
  • A higher chance of having to move into a care home.
  • A greater risk of passing away within a year after a fall.

Preventing falls is crucial for older people to have a better life and slow down their decline.

Checks on Fall Risk Assessments

The first step is to check individual risk factors:

  • Medical history – Ongoing conditions, medicines, recent illness
  • Physical exam – Walking and balance issues, weakness, vital signs, sight/hearing
  • Functional check – Ability to do everyday tasks
  • Home safety check – Looking at home safety
  • Psychosocial factors – Fear of falling, sadness, loneliness
  • Lab results – Problems with salts in the body, low iron, vitamin D

These tools help measure risk and guide actions. Risk should be checked often and after falls to change plans.

National Safety Council on Slips trips and falls

Home Environment Assessment and Modification

A home hazard assessment for falls looks at an older person’s home to find and fix risks that could cause falls. It usually involves checking for trip hazards (like loose rugs, clutter, or wires on the floor), making sure there’s enough lighting, and checking where furniture and safety equipment (like grab bars) are placed.

The goal is to spot possible safety problems and make changes to make sure the home or facility is safe and meets the person’s needs.

A home environmental assessment looks for things like:

  • Things that could cause trips
  • Enough lighting
  • Handrails
  • Other things that could affect safety and movement in the home or facility.

Simple changes to the home can really reduce hazards:

1. Flooring

  • Make sure carpets are low, non-slip, and firmly in place with no lifted edges.
  • Remove small loose rugs or use non-slip backing.
  • Fix cracked or uneven floors that could trip people.
  • Keep shiny floors free of water, dirt, and clutter.

2. Lighting

  • Make sure there is enough light in all rooms, stairs, and doorways.
  • Make sure light switches are easy to reach from entrances.
  • Use the brightest light bulbs allowed in fixtures.
  • Install nightlights to light up the path from the bedroom, bathroom, and stairs.

3. Stairs

  • Make sure handrails are firmly fixed on both sides of the stairs.
  • Put bright reflective tape on the top and bottom stairs to show the edges.
  • Remove any raised edges between floors and landings.
  • Keep stairs clear of objects. Never leave things on the stairs.

4. Hazards

  • Tidy up cords and wires so they are not in walkways.
  • Secure loose carpets and mats.
  • Remove furniture that is blocking paths.
  • Use cordless phones so you don’t have to rush to answer the phone.
  • Install grab bars in bathrooms, near the toilet and shower entrance.
  • Use shower chairs and bath transfer seats.

5. Entryways

  • Make sure outdoor steps have handrails and enough lighting.
  • Keep walkways smooth and clear of dirt, snow, and ice.
  • Place mats firmly so they don’t slip.

6. Bedroom

  • Place the bed so it’s easy to reach from both sides.
  • Have bedside lighting within easy reach.
  • Keep the phone and call button close, but out of the way.
  • Keep the bedroom clear of clutter that could cause tripping.

7. Kitchen

  • Store things you use often within easy reach.
  • Use stable step stools for hard-to-reach cabinets.
  • Don’t use chairs or surfaces that are not meant to be steps.

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Environmental Design in Care Settings to Prevent Falls

Changes to places like hospitals, care homes, and nursing homes can help stop falls. These include:

  • Use different floor patterns, wall colours, or themes to show paths through the building.
  • Put up clear signs and room numbers to help people find their way.
  • Remove changes in floor height between rooms or hallways.
  • Keep hallways clear and have enough seating for breaks.
  • Use different colours on toilet seats, door frames, bed rails, stairs, and grab bars to make them easier to see.
  • Put non-slip treads on stairs and improve lighting on stairs and at entrances.
  • Have many ways to ask for help, like call buttons, phones, or alarms.
  • Use pressure sensor mats that beep if someone tries to leave their bed or chair without help.

These changes help patients and residents move around more easily and safely.

Mobility Aids and Assistance in Falls Prevention

Mobility aids are tools and support that assist people in moving safely, lowering the risk of slips, trips, and falls. This includes items like canes, walkers, wheelchairs, and grab bars, as well as help from caregivers or staff to stop accidents.

Mobility aids give support while allowing people to stay independent. Here are some things to remember when using mobility aids:

  • Fit people with the right devices like canes, walkers, or wheelchairs and give them training until they know how to use them well.
  • Check regularly that the aids are working well, properly fitted, and being used correctly.
  • Remind users to lock the brakes before getting up from chairs or wheelchairs.
  • Encourage users to use the aids as soon as they feel unsteady, instead of waiting until the risk of falling is higher.
  • Provide help or support only when needed for safety during walking or transfers. Don’t give too much help.

Matching the right aids to the person and task makes movement safer and easier.

📚Related: Slips, Trips and Falls Online Training

Assistive Equipment and Mobility Aids in Falls Prevention

Devices give the support needed for stability and safety:

  • Canes or walkers – Help improve balance while walking.
  • Grab bars – Help with standing up or getting in and out of the bath.
  • Reacher’s – Let people grab items without stretching too far.
  • Proper footwear – Shoes with support, padding, and non-slip soles. Avoid socks or walking on smooth floors.
  • Assistive technology – Sensors that alert carers if someone tries to get up without help. Personal alarms call for help after a fall.

Make sure aids matches the user’s needs and environment to help them move safely.

✅Relevant: Principles of Moving and Handling

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Balance, Strength and Gait Training

Balance, strength, and walking training in care settings help improve movement, reduce fall risks, and make life better for older adults. Key parts include:

  • Balance Training
    Exercises like walking in a straight line, walking around things, and stepping on soft cushions help with stability and coordination.
    Doing two or more things at once helps build confidence in balance and reduces fear of falling.
  • Strength Training
    Doing exercises with weights, twice a week, can help improve muscle strength and movement in older adults with less ability.
    Simple exercises like leg lifts or sitting marches can be added to daily routines for weaker individuals.
  • Walking Training
    Focuses on improving walking speed and posture with simple exercises and physiotherapy.
    Includes activities like fast walking along with thinking tasks to improve walking stability.

These exercises reduce the risk of residents slipping, tripping, or falling by improving their ability to stay balanced and react quickly to avoid accidents.

HSE on Slips and trips

Protective Equipment Against Slips, Trips and Falls in Care Homes

Protective equipment to prevent slips, trips, and falls in care homes includes:

  • Non-slip shoes: Strong shoes with soles that don’t slip to help with walking.
  • Hip protectors: Soft clothing items that help protect the hips during a fall.
  • Grab bars and handrails: Bars installed in bathrooms, hallways, and stairs to provide support.
  • Non-slip mats: Mats used in showers, baths, and areas with high fall risk.
  • Fall alarms: Devices that alert staff when someone falls or tries to move unsafely.
  • Trapeze handles or lifts: Handles above beds to help people with limited movement.
  • Cushion mats: Soft mats placed near beds or chairs to reduce impact when someone falls.

Using these tools, along with making changes to the environment and training staff, helps to reduce the risk of falls in care homes.

hoist training for carers and nurses

Training Care Staff on Fall Prevention

Equipping staff helps maintain safety:

  • Training on spotting fall risks and preventing falls.
  • Teaching proper use of mobility equipment like walkers, wheelchairs, and lifts.
  • Practicing skills for helping with mobility, like people moving and transfers.
  • Setting up rules for regular safety reminders and clear communication during shift changes.
  • Tracking participation and results in training to improve it.
  • Ensuring all staff meet the same standards to apply fall prevention consistently.

Fall Prevention in Healthcare Settings

Hospitals and care homes can make buildings safer by:

  • Keeping floors clean, dry, even, and non-slip. Quickly cleaning up spills and using signs for wet floors.
  • Removing things that could cause trips in hallways and rooms. Fixing mats, cords, and carpet edges.
  • Regularly checking furniture, fixtures, rails, and call systems. Fixing any hazards straight away.
  • Making sure there’s enough light in the building and outside, especially where the floor height changes. Adding night lights.
  • Adding handrails on both sides of corridors. Using different colours on stairs to make them easier to see.
  • Providing strong armchairs and easy-to-rise seating in activity rooms and lounges.
  • Using patient identifiers like wristbands or photos before helping with mobility or giving medication to prevent mistakes that could cause dizziness.

These changes help protect everyone in the facility.

1. Making Kitchen and Dining Areas Safer

Kitchens have lots of risks like spills, especially in care homes. Important safety steps are:

  • Cleaning up all spills quickly to avoid slips.
  • Allowing only staff in the kitchen to avoid burns.
  • Keeping hot food and liquid out of reach of residents.
  • Having sturdy armless chairs with grab bars for easy rising.
  • Providing plates and cups with special grips and edges if needed.

Eating areas must have good chair supports and slip-resistant floors.

2. Improving Bathroom Safety

Bathrooms have lots of slick surfaces. Helpful ideas include:

  • Putting out warning signs when floors are wet.
  • Adding extra grab bars, shower seats and rubber mats.
  • Always using non-slip bathmats with rubber backing.
  • Providing stairs or bath lifts if tubs are hard to enter.
  • Adding higher toilets and using toilet frames with arms.
  • Checking water temperature to avoid burns with a thermometer and recording it.

Handrails, shower grab bars, floor mats and raised toilets or toilet seats reduce the chance of sliding in bathrooms.

3. Bedroom Safety

Bedrooms have their own risks to avoid:

  • Keeping floor areas around beds and dressers free of objects.
  • Providing lamps and nightlights that are easy to reach from bed.
  • Making sure call bells for help are always close by.
  • Adding grab bars, handles or steps for those with tall beds.
  • Using monitors or sensors that alert staff if someone tries to leave bed.

Bedroom hazards can be lessened with lighting, cleared spaces, easy access to help and steps for high beds.

4. Improving Overall Safety

Some general things that help reduce risks everywhere include:

  • Regularly cleaning eyeglasses for the clearest vision.
  • Providing mobility aids like canes, walkers, and wheelchairs that fit each person and checking they are in good condition.
  • Putting handrails on both sides of all stairs and hallways.
  • Adding good lighting indoors and outside.
  • Keeping extension cords and power strips out of walkways.
  • Using chairs with armrests that make it easier to get up.
  • Offering activities that improve strength, balance, and coordination.

Regular checks make sure the environment helps prevent falls. If care and hospital workers work together and follow proven steps to prevent falls, the risk can be much lower, helping even weak adults stay strong.

A careful plan that focuses on keeping residents safe while moving makes them feel more confident and helps them stay active.

Post-Fall Assessment

A post-fall assessment is what happens after a fall. It involves looking at why the fall happened, checking for any injuries or changes in the person’s condition, and taking steps to stop future falls.

This might include changing the person’s care plan, making changes to the environment, or providing more support to keep them safe and healthy.

👉Related: Moving and Handling Training.

What should you do after a fall?

After a fall, key responses include:

  • Stay with the person and comfort them while waiting for help.
  • Give first aid if there are any injuries or bleeding.
  • Check the person’s nerves and blood flow, and watch for confusion or slow reactions.
  • Talk about the situation and what caused the fall in a meeting with staff.
  • Update risk assessments and care plans to fix any new problems.
  • Increase supervision if the person is confused, in pain, or upset.
  • Arrange tests like X-rays if there might be broken bones, head injuries, or internal bleeding, depending on how serious the symptoms are.
  • Help the person get over their fear of falling by offering support and teaching them how to move safely.

Organisations can lower the chances of falls and help those at risk stay mobile and independent by using simple methods and keeping the environment safe. Creating a culture of care, good communication, and looking after people helps them stay healthy and live longer.

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Preventing Falls: Following the Recommendations from NICE

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes advice on preventing falls, especially for older adults. These guidelines help health and care providers promote safer, healthier ageing – reducing the risk of falls and enhancing independence.

The NICE guidelines for fall prevention include:

  1. Assessing fall risks,
  2. Medical reviews,
  3. Exercise,
  4. Home safety checks,
  5. Practical support, and
  6. Ongoing risk checks.

So, let’s examine each aspects of the NICE guidelines to help prevent fall within the care settings.

1. Assessing Fall Risks

NICE advises checking all older people for fall risks. Ask about any falls in the past year.

Look for problems such as:

  • Unsteady walking or needing help to move around.
  • Falling more than once.
  • Feeling dizzy or faint often.
  • Unable to get out of a chair without using your arms.
  • Difficulty seeing or hearing.
  • Problems thinking clearly or understanding.
  • Taking medicines that make you sleepy or dizzy.
  • Needing to rush to the toilet.
  • Fear of falling that limits your activity.

Checking for risks helps find out who needs more help.

2. Medical Reviews

For those at high risk of falling, NICE suggests:

  • Checking all medicines to see if any might make falls more likely. Lower doses if possible.
  • Testing vision and hearing and referring for treatment if needed. Poor vision or hearing can affect balance.
  • Doing a full medical review to check for issues like dizziness, foot pain, heart problems, and more that could cause falls.
  • Talking about options like changing medicine doses or physical therapy to improve balance.
  • Checking bone strength if there are risks like osteoporosis and starting treatment if needed.
  • Checking feet and fall risks and giving advice on footwear or inserts when necessary.

Regular reviews help find health problems to fix.

3. Exercises

For older adults who have fallen or are unsteady, NICE strongly recommends exercise programs to improve strength, balance, and coordination. These programs include:

  • Muscle strengthening exercises using weights, resistance bands, or body weight.
  • Balance training with activities like walking backwards, heel-to-toe steps, and Pilates.
  • Tai Chi classes designed for older adults.
  • Individual or group sessions with trained fitness instructors.
  • Regular exercise 2-3 times a week for at least 6 months.
  • Referring for a physical therapy assessment if needed.

Staying active helps improve stability and confidence.

4. Home Safety Checks

NICE says that trained healthcare workers should visit homes after falls to suggest changes. They recommend:

  • Making sure the lights inside and outside are bright, and adding nightlights.
  • Putting grab rails in bathrooms and using bath seats.
  • Removing things that could trip you like rugs, clutter, and cables.
  • Providing strong chairs and making sure chairs and beds are the right height.
  • Adding ramps if needed and fixing paths outside.
  • Using mats that stop slipping and adding shower grips.
  • Having emergency alarms or call buttons.
  • Moving things so they are easy to reach.

Removing dangers makes the place safer.

5. Practical Support

For daily functioning, NICE guidelines suggest:

  • Checking all aids like canes, walkers, and braces to make sure they fit properly, training people to use them, and replacing worn-out handles.
  • Providing mobility aids early, instead of waiting until it’s hard to move.
  • Setting up care plans for high-risk times, like when someone is sick.
  • Having regular eye checks and giving new glasses quickly when needed.
  • Suggesting hip protectors and helmets for people who are likely to fall.
  • Making sure there is enough pain relief when needed.

Practical support helps people stay independent and active.

6. Information for Older Adults

NICE suggests giving older people advice on:

  • How to use walking aids properly and how to get up safely after a fall.
  • Doing exercises to improve strength and balance and joining group classes.
  • Having regular eye tests and getting new glasses when needed.
  • Watching out for trip hazards at home like rugs, pets, and clutter.
  • Wearing shoes that give good support and grip, and avoiding slippery soles.
  • Being careful when walking in winter weather.
  • Reporting any concerns about dizziness or feeling unsteady early.

People who know more can protect themselves better.

7. Ongoing Risk Checks

For those at higher risk of falling, NICE recommends:

  • Doing regular checks to see if the risk has changed and updating plans.
  • Contacting the medical team quickly if new problems come up.
  • Giving updates on home changes, exercise routines, and aids.
  • Reviewing medicines regularly for side effects like tiredness.
  • Following up after falls to understand why they happened and changing plans based on what’s learned.
  • Offering emotional support along with practical help.

Regular checks help keep safety measures in place.

In Conclusion

it’s really important to be watchful and take action to stop slips, trips, and falls. This is a big deal for the safety and happiness of older people.

Falls prevention in care settings takes dedication, but it is highly beneficial for helping older people remain active and independent.

Following NICE guidelines on checks, health reviews, home changes, exercise programs, and practical support offers a proven plan. Staying alert to emerging needs is also crucial.

With the right preparation, people can stay comfortably mobile even as risks increase with age.

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