A lot of the calls about this service aren’t from the person who’d actually be attending. They’re from an adult child, worried about a parent who’s had a close call on the stairs, or who’s started avoiding the shower because standing on wet tile feels risky now. That’s a completely reasonable thing to worry about, and it’s also very fixable, more fixable than most people assume.
Why Falls Risk Increases With Age?
Muscle mass declines gradually from around age thirty if nothing’s done to counter it, and the decline accelerates later in life. Balance reactions slow down. Bone density drops, particularly after menopause, which means a fall that would have been a bruise at fifty becomes a fracture at seventy-five. None of this is inevitable in the way it’s often treated. Strength and balance are trainable at any age, including well into your eighties and nineties, and the research on this is about as solid as exercise research gets.
What a Program Looks Like?
Resistance training forms the backbone of it, because muscle is the thing that actually prevents falls, not vague balance drills alone. Loaded exercises for the legs and hips, done at an appropriate intensity, build the strength needed to catch yourself, recover from a stumble, or get up off the floor unassisted if you do go down. Balance training layers on top of that, often starting simple, standing on one leg near a bench for support, and progressing as confidence builds.
For anyone managing osteoporosis or low bone density, the loading needs to be judged carefully. Enough to stimulate bone, not so much that it’s risky. This is exactly the kind of decision that benefits from a qualified Exercise Physiologist rather than a general gym program.
It’s Not Just About Preventing a Fall?
Independence is the bigger prize. Being able to get up from a low chair without using your arms. Carrying the shopping in from the car in one trip. Getting down to the garden and back up again without needing a hand. These are the things people actually notice improving, often before the more clinical measures do.
What to Expect at the First Session?
An assessment of current strength, balance and any relevant health history, including past falls if there have been any. From there, a program that starts at a genuinely appropriate level and builds gradually. If a GP has raised concerns about falls risk or osteoporosis, an EPC referral may apply, and we’re happy to check.
Book a Healthy Ageing Assessment in Rose Bay
Call (02) 9371 7774. Whether you’re booking for yourself or on behalf of a parent, we’re happy to talk it through on the phone first.