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Call 911 first if someone has fallen and is hurt, cannot get up, or hit their head.

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Helping after a fall

For the family member who is there. Short steps for the moments that matter. Pick the moment you are in and read one step at a time.

What this page is

1. Right after a fall

Check before you help. Moving someone who is hurt can make it worse.

  1. Stay calm. Do not rush to get them up. Let them lie still for a few moments and breathe. Getting up too fast, or the wrong way, can make an injury worse. Source: NIA
  2. Check for pain and injury first. Take a couple of minutes. Ask where it hurts, and whether they feel they can get up. Source: NHS
  3. Call 911 and do not move them if they may have hurt the head, neck, back or hip, or cannot get up. Source: NHS Call 911 too if they are hurt, passed out, seem confused, or cannot stand on a leg without pain. Source: NIA Source: Health in Aging (AGS)
  4. After a hit to the head, call 911 for any of these: a headache that gets worse, vomiting again and again, slurred speech, new weakness or numbness, one pupil bigger than the other, confusion, or very sleepy or cannot be woken. Source: CDC
  5. On a blood thinner and hit their head? They need to be seen right away, even if they seem fine. Tell the doctor every medicine they take. Source: CDC
  6. While you wait for help, keep them comfortable and warm. Do not try to lift them. Source: NHS

2. Helping them up, when they are not hurt

Only when none of the 911 signs fit and they feel able to get up. They do the work; you steady and guide.

  1. Let them rest first. Take your time. Do not get up too quickly. Source: NHS
  2. Roll onto the side. Rest again while the body and blood pressure settle. Source: NIA
  3. Slowly get onto hands and knees. Source: NIA Source: NHS
  4. Crawl to a sturdy chair, or something heavy and stable to hold. Source: NIA Source: NHS
  5. Hands on the chair seat. Slide one foot forward, flat on the floor. The other knee stays on the floor. Source: NIA
  6. Slowly rise and turn to sit in the chair. Then sit and rest. Source: NIA Source: NHS
  7. Never lift them yourself, not even by the arms. Help carefully, but do not try to lift them. If they cannot get up this way, go to the next moment. Source: NHS
  8. Practice getting up on a good day. If they cannot get up from a fall, ask to work with a physical or occupational therapist, who can teach ways to do it. Source: Health in Aging (AGS)

3. They cannot get up, and you are alone with them

Get help to come to you. Your job is to keep them safe and warm until it does.

  1. Call 911, or someone who can come. Source: NIA
  2. Do not try to lift them. Source: NHS
  3. Keep them warm. Cover them with a blanket, coat, towel or rug. Source: NHS
  4. Help them get into a comfortable position while you wait. Source: NIA
  5. If help is slow, keep them moving a little. Roll from side to side, or gently move the arms and legs. Change position about every 30 minutes, to help prevent pressure sores. Source: NHS

4. After the fall

A fall with no injury still matters. It can be the first sign of something that can be fixed.

  1. Tell their clinician right away, even if they seem fine. Source: Health in Aging (AGS) Source: CDC STEADI
  2. A fall can point to a new health problem, or to a problem with medicines or eyesight that can be fixed. Source: NIA
  3. Watch for changes over the next days. Signs of a head injury can take days or weeks to show, and the person may look fine. Source: CDC
  4. Get care right away if you see: a headache that will not go away, dizziness or loss of balance, more confusion or trouble remembering, sleeping much more or less than before, or mood changes. For the 911 signs above, call 911. Source: CDC
  5. Write down what happened, on paper. The time of day, where they were, what they were doing, whether they tripped, got dizzy, or felt their legs give out, and any new medicine. Source: Health in Aging (AGS) The visit sheet puts it on one page to print.
  6. Bring a list of all their medicines to the visit, including ones bought without a prescription and supplements. Source: CDC STEADI

5. Making the next one less likely

Many falls can be prevented. These are the steps the CDC names for families.

  1. Ask their clinician about falls, and about the best kind of exercise program for them. Source: CDC STEADI
  2. Exercise that improves balance and makes the legs stronger lowers the chance of falling. Tai chi is one example. Source: CDC STEADI
  3. Eyes checked once a year, and feet checked once a year. Source: CDC STEADI
  4. Make the home safer. Lots of light, clear floors, no small throw rugs, grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub, non-slip mats in the tub and shower. Source: CDC STEADI Source: CDC STEADI

More on this site, and a risk score:

Check what you know

Five questions, each keyed to a step on this page. A wrong tap shows the step and where to re-read it. It measures what this page explained, not how you are doing as a helper. Your answers never leave your phone.

    Next stops

    Make the visit sheetLog falls and near-falls and pick your questions. One page for the doctor, kept on this device.Practice the talkRehearse talking to a parent after a fall. Scripted, not an AI; nothing you say is sent.Score the risk: fallrisks.comA three-minute fall-risk screener for families.For you, the helper: familycaregive.comA private one-question check-in for the caregiver.

    Sources