Why Falls Occur in Care Home Settings
Structured strength and balance programmes designed to reduce falls risk, improve mobility and support safer care delivery across Essex and the South East.
Falls in older adults are rarely random events.
They are often linked to modifiable risk factors including:
Reduced lower limb strength
Impaired balance and postural control
Slower reaction time
Reduced proprioception
Fear of falling
Cognitive impairment affecting dual task ability
Within care homes, inactivity and deconditioning can accelerate these factors.
Without targeted intervention, functional decline continues.
A Structured Physiotherapy Approach to Falls Prevention
Reeflex delivers physiotherapy led falls prevention programmes focused on addressing the underlying causes of instability.
Our approach includes:
Progressive lower limb strengthening to improve sit to stand performance, transfer safety and gait stability.
Strength Development
Stepping drills, directional changes and controlled instability tasks to improve dynamic balance.
Balance and Postural Control
Integrating cognitive and physical tasks to improve real world mobility performance and reaction time.
Dual Task Training
Training movements that directly transfer into daily activities within the care home environment.
Functional Integration
Assessment, Reporting and Care Plan Integration
Each resident participating in the programme receives an initial physiotherapy assessment.
This includes evaluation of:
- Functional mobility
- Sit to stand performance
- Balance and postural control
- Gait pattern
- Identified falls risk factors
Following assessment, a structured written report is provided to the care home.
This report includes:
- Summary of findings
- Identified risk factors
- Recommended focus areas
- Clinical rationale
- Integration guidance for the resident's care plan
This documentation is designed to support:
- Proactive falls risk management
- Care planning requirements
- CQC inspection evidence
- Demonstration of preventative healthcare input
At the end of the programme, residents receive a reassessment and outcome summary to demonstrate measurable change.
Evidence Informed Falls Prevention Physiotherapy
Falls prevention in older adults requires targeted intervention addressing modifiable risk factors including lower limb weakness, impaired balance, reduced proprioception and slowed reaction time.
Research consistently demonstrates that progressive strength training, balance retraining and dual task exercises can improve functional mobility and reduce falls risk in older populations.
Reeflex programmes are structured around these core principles and delivered within the care home environment to ensure safe, progressive and clinically reasoned intervention.
This approach moves beyond activity provision and provides preventative physiotherapy input tailored to the needs of care home residents.
Who Our Falls Prevention Service Supports
Residential care homes
Nursing homes
Homes supporting residents with mild to moderate cognitive impairment
Providers seeking structured preventative healthcare input
Care homes preparing for regulatory inspection
