April Falls 2024

April Falls Month® is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of falls and to promote the latest best practice fall prevention strategies. The overall campaign goal is to get active and improve balance for fall prevention.

The last year has been a gradual return to normal, however many activities and events have continued to be disrupted. This may have lead to a reduction in your social activities, exercise classes and general health. The Better Balance for Fall Prevention campaign aims to help Australians find appropriate exercise programs to meet your needs and interests.

For optimal physical and mental health, it is recommended that all adults (regardless of age, health, or ability) do 30-60min of physical activity most days. To prevent falls and maintain independence this should include exercise or activities that improve strength and balance. Every bit of activity helps.

This page has been created to make it easy for you to find local exercise programs or Health professionals such as a Physiotherapist, Exercise Physiologist or Fitness trainer. We have also developed resources for Health Professionals to use to help you receive the latest evidence-based care. If you need advice on how to get started, speak to your local GP, Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist. Start slow and build up gradually. Every bit helps.

It’s never too late to get active!

Find an Exercise Provider in Your Local Area

• Active and Healthy Website, Ministry of Health
  This website can help you find an exercise program in your local area and provides information and tools that can assist you to increase your physical activity.
• Exercise and Sports Science Australia, ESSA
  Click here to find an Accredited Exercise Physiologist
• Australian Physiotherapy Association, APA
  Click here to find an Accredited Physiotherapist
• AusActive
  Find an AusActive Fitness Trainer
• Living Longer, Living Stronger, COTA NSW
  Find a local Living Longer Living Stronger Provider

It’s well known that poor balance and strength will affect a person’s mobility and put them at an increased risk of a fall. So by improving balance and strength, people can reduce their risk of falling and suffering a fall-related injury. Research has shown that exercise of any type has been shown to reduce the risk of falling by 23%.

Every move counts. By safely achieving your goals you can move towards better health and balance today.

Falls can be prevented

There are many resources available if you are concerned about your balance or about having a fall.

• The National Council on Ageing wrote a helpful article on the 10 myths about older adults and falls
• Preventing falls at home – Tips for seniors
• The Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (Home FAST) is a valid and reliable online tool for predicting the risk of a fall at home. It helps health professionals and home users to review the most common trip-hazards around the home and work out the risk of an accident.
• The National Council on Ageing Falls Free CheckUp is endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is part of the CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) Resources for health care professionals and consumers.
• The Safe Exercise at Home website has been developed by physiotherapists from around Australia with clinical and academic expertise in exercise and other forms of physical activity for older people and people with mobility limitations and has been endorsed by the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
• Healthy Ageing Online Learning contains a variety of resources for older adults to learn about healthy eating, getting active and falls prevention.
• Find an Exercise Program Brochure – developed by NSW Health