Falls Prevention
Balance Programs That Keep You on Your Feet
Around one in four Australians over 65 falls every year, and falls are the leading cause of hospitalised injury in this age group. The statistic is alarming, but the evidence is clear: exercise that targets balance and strength reduces fall risk, and a structured program led by an Exercise Physiologist or Physiotherapist makes the biggest difference. iRehab runs falls prevention programs in clinic and at home across Sydney.
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(verified 2026-08-11)
Medicare care plans,
NDIS, WorkCover and DVA accepted
Registered NDIS Provider
4-3LLM-2259
Falls in Australia: Three Numbers That Matter
One in four. Around 1 in 4 Australians over 65 fall each year. Source: AIHW
133,000 hospitalisations. In 2019-20, falls caused 133,000 hospitalisations among Australians 65 and older. They are the leading cause of injury hospitalisation in the age group. Source: AIHW.
23 percent reduction. Exercise of any type reduces the risk of falling by 23%. Source: Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Australians over 65 fall each year.
Hospitalisations among Australians 65+ in 2019-20 (the leading cause of injury hospitalisation).
Reduction in the risk of falling through exercise of any type.
What a Falls Prevention Program at iRehab Includes.
Fall risk assessment.
Your exercise history, your medications, your home environment, and a set of standardised balance and strength tests. You walk out knowing your specific risk factors.
Individual balance and strength program.
Exercises chosen for your test results, not a generic handout. Sessions are one to one, in clinic or at home. NSW Health recommends at least two hours per week of balance and strength exercise for six months or more for the best falls prevention results.
Home safety review.
Common hazards in your home: loose rugs, poor lighting, bathroom access, trailing cords. Often the easiest fix makes the biggest difference.
Progress tracking and reporting.
Re-assessment at regular intervals, with reports to your GP, family or care coordinator. A program typically runs one to two sessions per week over three to six months, then tapers to a maintenance phase.
Balance Exercises for Seniors That Actually Work
Balance is a skill that can be trained at any age, and the exercises that prevent falls are not complicated. They are specific, progressive and supervised.
Standing balance drills
From standing with feet together, through tandem stance (heel to toe), to single-leg stand. Progressed by closing the eyes, turning the head or standing on a foam surface.
Heel-to-toe walking
Walking in a straight line, heel touching toe, as a balance challenge under safe conditions.
Sit-to-stand practice
Rising from a chair without using hands. This exercise does more than strengthen the legs: it retrains the movement pattern that matters most at home.
Weight shifting and reaching
Shifting weight to one leg or reaching for an object without losing stability, teaching the body to recover from a perturbation before it becomes a fall.
Dual-task training
Performing a balance exercise while counting backwards, naming objects or holding a conversation. This is particularly effective for people with Parkinson’s or cognitive changes, and it mimics the real world.
Walking on varied surfaces
Practising on grass, carpet and uneven ground, so the first time you walk on a cracked pavement is not the one that trips you.
Falls Prevention Exercise Physiology: The Professional Who Guides the Program
Exercise Physiologists are the profession specifically trained to prescribe exercise for chronic conditions and functional decline, and falls prevention sits right in the centre of that training.
| Falls prevention task | Physiotherapist | Exercise Physiologist |
|---|---|---|
| Initial fall risk assessment | Strong | Strong |
| Balance and gait retraining | Strong | Strong |
| Strength and conditioning program | Moderate | Primary role |
| Chronic condition management alongside | Moderate | Primary role |
| Home safety and mobility aids | Primary role | Moderate |
Who Should Be on a Falls Prevention Program?
Anyone over 65 who has fallen
The single strongest predictor of a future fall is a past fall. A program following a fall is targeted prevention, not just exercise.
People who feel unsteady
If you avoid stairs, hold furniture while walking or feel nervous on uneven ground, you are already compensating. Structured balance training can undo that dependence.
People with Parkinson’s, stroke history, or dementia
Neurological conditions increase fall risk significantly. iRehab’s neurological and aged care programs run alongside falls prevention.
After joint replacement or surgery
Post-operative weakness changes your gait and your stability. A falls prevention overlay during rehab protects the surgical outcome.
People on multiple medications
Some medications, and combinations of them, affect blood pressure, alertness and balance. We coordinate with your GP for a medication review as part of the program.
What Happens in a Falls Risk Assessment?
The physical tests. These are standardised measures used across Australian falls services, so your result can be compared against normal ranges for your age and re-measured later to show whether the program is working.
- Sit-to-stand. How many times you can rise from a chair without using your hands in a set period. A direct measure of leg strength and one of the strongest indicators of function.
- Timed walk. Walking speed over a measured distance, which correlates closely with independence.
- Static balance. Feet together, then tandem stance, then single leg where it is safe, with and without visual input.
- Dynamic balance and turning. Turning is when a large share of falls happen, and it is tested separately from straight-line walking for that reason.
- Gait observation. How you actually walk: step length, foot clearance, arm swing, and whether you use a wall or furniture for support without noticing.
Which Hazards at Home Cause the Most Falls?
Floors and walkways
- Loose rugs and mats, especially at doorways. Remove them or tape them down.
- Trailing cords across walking paths.
- Clutter on stairs and in hallways.
- Pets that move underfoot, which is a real and underrated cause.
Lighting
- Hallways, stairs and the route from the bed to the bathroom.
- A lamp or motion light within reach of the bed. Night-time bathroom trips are a common fall scenario.
- Burnt-out bulbs in places that are difficult to reach, which is why they stay burnt out.
Bathroom
- Grab rails beside the toilet and in the shower, fitted into the wall structure rather than suction-mounted.
- A non-slip mat inside the shower or bath.
- A shower stool where standing for the whole shower is tiring.
Stairs and steps
- Handrails on both sides where possible, and rails that extend past the top and bottom step.
- Clearly visible step edges, including the step down into a garage or garden.
Outside
- Uneven paving, moss on paths, and the front step in wet weather.
Footwear
- Well-fitting shoes with a firm sole and a back. Loose slippers and going barefoot on hard floors both raise risk.
Funding a Falls Prevention Program
NDIS
iRehab is a registered NDIS provider (4-3LLM-2259). Physiotherapy and exercise physiology can be funded under your plan.
Workers compensation (iCare NSW)
Workplace injuries and motor accidents are covered under NSW workers compensation and the CTP scheme. We handle the SIRA paperwork and recovery requests with your insurer.
DVA (Veterans Affairs)
Veterans with a Gold Card, or a White Card for accepted conditions, can access physiotherapy and exercise physiology through a GP referral under the DVA allied health treatment cycle.
What Should You Bring or Have Ready?
- Your medication list, including over-the-counter medicines and supplements. This is the most important item on the list.
- The shoes you wear every day, and your slippers. Both get assessed.
- Your walking aid, if you use one, whether or not you think you use it properly.
- Glasses and hearing aids, worn. Testing balance without them gives a result that does not reflect your day.
- Details of any falls or near misses, including when and where. Near misses count and are often more informative than the falls people remember.
- Any recent hospital or specialist letters.
- A family member, if you would like one there.
How Long Should Falls Prevention Training Continue?
Assessment & Habit
Assessment, then building the habit. Exercises start at your tested level. For someone who has been avoiding activity out of fear, the first weeks are as much about confidence as capacity.
Progression
Balance work gets harder in specific ways: narrower base of support, reduced visual input, added head movement, then dual-task work. Strength work progresses in load.
Sustained Effort
This is where the evidence says the benefit sits. NSW Health's guidance is explicit that the programs producing results are sustained ones, at a minimum of two hours weekly across at least six months.
Maintenance
Balance and strength both reduce when training stops, so the program moves to maintenance rather than ending. For most clients that is a reduced-frequency supervised session plus a home program.
For GPs, Aged Care Providers and Community Health Teams.
After a fall presentation.
Where a patient has presented to a GP or emergency department after a fall, the strongest predictor of the next fall is that one. A program started at that point is targeted prevention.
Aged care providers and retirement villages.
iRehab schedules recurring visits under service agreements, and falls prevention programs can run individually or be coordinated across residents.
Community health and care coordinators.
Support at Home funds clinical care including physiotherapy and exercise physiology. Send the participant's details and we will confirm the funding pathway.
What we send back.
Measured assessment results, the identified risk factors, the program, and re-assessment results at review. Where a medication review or vision check is indicated, that recommendation comes to you in writing.
Who Runs the Program
Sophia Wehbe
Managing Director & Accredited Exercise Physiologist | BAppSc (Sport & Exercise Science) | Accredited ESSAM
Sophia Wehbe
Managing Director & Accredited Exercise Physiologist | BAppSc (Sport & Exercise Science) | Accredited ESSAM
Jay Daniels
Exercise Physiologist
Jay Daniels
Exercise Physiologist
Micqut Ngaata
Exercise and Sport Scientist
Micqut Ngaata
Exercise and Sport Scientist
Lucas Carling
Assistant Therapist
Lucas Carling
Assistant Therapist
What Clients and Families Say About the Program
Falls Prevention Questions
In acute care, the 5 Ps is a nursing mnemonic: Pain, Position, Personal items (phone and call bell within reach), Pathway (clear of hazards), and Pressure (toilet needs). Outside the hospital, a broader approach recommended by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care includes regular exercise that challenges balance, home safety modifications, medication reviews, vision checks and proper footwear. An iRehab program covers the exercise and safety sides and coordinates the rest with your GP.
Remove loose rugs or tape them down. Install grab rails in the bathroom. Improve lighting in hallways and on stairs. Wear well-fitting, non-slip shoes. And do balance and strength exercise at least twice a week.
Exercise programs that include balance training and progressive strength work are the most effective single intervention. Combined programs that also address home safety, medication and vision produce the best results.
Start with their GP for a medication review and a referral to a falls prevention program. Book a home safety assessment. Avoid telling a parent to “be more careful”: that makes people move less, and moving less increases fall risk. An Exercise Physiologist-run program rebuilds their confidence as well as their strength.
Yes. iRehab runs the full program through mobile visits to homes and aged care facilities.
No for private sessions. Yes for Medicare care plans and DVA: your GP initiates the referral and the funding pathway.
Start a Falls Prevention Program in Sydney
Call 02 9613 3751 or book online. Programs run in clinic and at home, for individuals and through aged care facility arrangements.
iRehab North Rocks: 328-336 N Rocks Rd, North Rocks NSW 2151
iRehab Five Dock: 451 Lyons Rd W, Five Dock NSW 2046
Phone: 02 9613 3751 · Email: admin@irehab.com.au
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- Last updated: September 10, 2026