Falls happen, even to careful people. Here is a calm, step-by-step way to get from the floor to a chair, when to stay put and call for help, and why it pays to rehearse the sequence before you need it.

Few things rattle your confidence like finding yourself on the floor and unsure what to do next. Falls are common for older Australians. About one in four people aged 65 and over has at least one fall each year, around half of all falls happen in or around the home, and falls are the leading cause of accidental injury in older Australians. The encouraging part is that getting up from the floor is a skill, and skills can be learned and rehearsed before you ever need them. This guide covers what to do in the first minutes after a fall, when to stay where you are, and how to move from the floor to a chair in one calm, careful sequence.

Why practising this before you need it matters

The movements required to rise from the ground are ones many of us stop doing as we age. We rarely kneel, crawl or sit on the floor in daily life, so the strength and coordination involved quietly fade. Physical therapists often compare practising a floor-to-standing sequence to a fire drill: you rehearse it so that if the real thing happens, your body knows what to do and panic does not take over.

There is a confidence angle too. Even falls that cause no injury can trigger a fear of falling, which often leads people to become less active. Less movement means weaker muscles and a higher risk of falling again, which is a cycle worth breaking early. Being able to get yourself up off the floor, or knowing exactly what to do if you cannot, helps you keep living on your own terms.

It also helps to know that having one fall doubles a person’s chances of falling again, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is not a reason to worry. It is a reason to have a plan, mention every fall to your doctor, and practise the recovery steps while you are well.

First steps: stay calm and check yourself over

Take a couple of minutes before you move at all, then follow this order.

1. Stay calm. Panic makes people rush, and rushing is how a minor fall turns into a worse one.
2. Lie still for a few moments and let your blood pressure settle. This also gives you time to notice anything that hurts.
3. Scan your body from head to toe. Wiggle your fingers and toes. If something hurts when you move, or you suspect a broken bone or a head injury, stop and get help rather than trying to stand.
4. Think about how the fall happened. If you felt dizzy, faint or unwell beforehand, that detail is worth telling your doctor.

Warning signs that you should not attempt to get up include sharp pain when you move, a hip or leg that will not take weight, or feeling faint. If you feel faint, healthdirect advises lying down with your legs raised above the level of your head until the feeling passes.

When to stay where you are and call for help

Sometimes the safest move is no move at all. Stay on the floor and call for help if:

• You cannot get up, or moving causes sharp pain.
• You think you have fractured a bone. Common signs after a fall include being unable to get up, or being unable to put weight on one side of your body.
• You hit your head and feel confused, or you are having trouble breathing. Call triple zero (000) in these situations.
• You had a severe fall. Healthdirect recommends going to your nearest emergency department or calling 000 and asking for an ambulance.

If a phone or a personal alarm is close enough to grab, use it to call for help. If not, slide yourself towards it, or towards a door or window where you think someone will hear you. Shouting and banging on the wall or floor are legitimate strategies, not last resorts.

While you wait, make yourself as safe and comfortable as you can:

• Put something under your head to use as a pillow.
• Cover yourself with whatever you can reach, such as a blanket, coat, towel or rug, to stay warm.
• Shift your position roughly every half hour, which helps protect your skin from pressure sores.

One more thing, even when everything goes smoothly: see your doctor after any fall, even if you were not injured. A fall can point to something worth checking, such as changes in balance, blood pressure or medicines. If you cannot get an appointment quickly, the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 connects you with a registered nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; in Victoria the same service is known as NURSE-ON-CALL.

Step by step: getting from the floor to a chair

If you have checked yourself over, feel steady and believe you can get up safely, work through this sequence slowly. The only equipment you need is a sturdy piece of furniture, ideally a chair with armrests, or a sofa or bed.

1. Lie still for a moment longer. Rolling straight into action is the most common mistake, because blood pressure needs time to adjust after time spent on the floor.
2. Roll onto your side, then get up onto your hands and knees.
3. Crawl to the chair or other stable piece of furniture.
4. Set up in a half-kneel. Position yourself in front of the furniture and place one foot forward with that foot flat on the floor. Your other leg stays bent, with the knee resting on the ground. This gives you a stable base to push from.
5. Rise slowly. Push up through your front foot and your hands, keeping hold of the furniture the whole way.
6. Turn and sit. Do not try to stand fully upright first and then lower yourself into the seat; turn and sit in one planned movement.
7. Stay seated for a while and check how you feel. Let someone know what happened even if you feel fine, because you may not be able to tell on your own whether you have a more serious injury.

The common mistakes here are getting up too quickly, choosing wobbly furniture, and trying to stand straight from a crawl instead of using the half-kneel. Slow is the whole point.

Practising the technique with someone nearby

The physical therapists who teach this skill suggest rehearsing it deliberately, with another person in the room, especially if you have sore knees, arthritis or balance concerns. A cushion under the knees and a carpeted floor or yoga mat make sensible first attempts. Warm up before you start; our guide to how to warm up before exercise covers a simple routine.

Three drills build the pieces you need:

1. Sit-to-stand from the floor. Sit down with your legs crossed or straight out, then stand up again, noticing what you used for support. This single movement calls on balance, coordination and leg strength all at once.
2. Kneel-to-stand. Lay a pillow, or a towel folded over a few times, on the ground. Starting from standing, lower yourself down so one knee rests on that padding while your front leg bends, a bit like someone down on one knee making a proposal. Hold the position for a second or two, then push back up to standing.
3. Crawling. Get onto hands and knees, lining your hands up beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Bring one hand and the opposite knee forward, then swap to the other pair. Crawl one direction for a count of 10, turn around and crawl back.

Practise the full floor-to-chair sequence as well, starting from lying down. Keep sessions short and stop if anything hurts. A physiotherapist or exercise physiologist can tailor the drills to your body and check your technique, which is worth arranging if you have fallen more than once in the past 6 months, since that history makes another fall more likely.

Simple ways to lower your risk of falling again

Prevention and preparation work together. Practical steps supported by public health bodies include:

• Stay active every day, and build in strength and balance work on at least two days of the week; our summary of how much you should move under Australia’s 24-hour guidelines explains the targets.
• Eat well and drink enough water, since going short on food or fluids can leave you feeling dizzy or faint.
• Choose foods rich in calcium to look after your bones, and raise vitamin D with your doctor at your next check-up.
• Keep up with regular eye tests and hearing checks, because trouble with your ears can throw off your balance.
• Clear trip hazards such as rugs, floor mats and electrical cords, and keep hallways free of clutter.
• Hand the jobs that strain you over to someone else, such as carrying heavy loads or stretching for high shelves, rather than struggling through them alone.

Strength work deserves particular attention, because weaker muscles are among the physical changes that make falls more likely. Resistance training is safe and effective at any age when it is built up sensibly, and our article on what people get wrong about strength training after 60 tackles the myths that stop many older adults from starting. If you would rather have guidance, a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist can prescribe balance exercises suited to you.

Knowing how to get up after a fall is one of those skills you hope never to use, and are glad to have learned. Learn the sequence, practise it with company, and keep the number for triple zero (000) close at hand.

Questions we get

Should I get up straight away after a fall?

No. Lie still for a few minutes, let your blood pressure settle and check for pain before deciding what to do. If anything hurts when you move, stay where you are and call for help.

What should I do if I cannot reach my phone after a fall?

Try sliding yourself towards the phone, or towards a door or window where someone can hear you. Shouting or banging on the wall or floor can attract attention, and you should keep warm while you wait.

How often should I practise getting up from the floor?

There is no set schedule, but practising the drills with another person at home helps the sequence feel familiar. A physiotherapist or exercise physiologist can tailor the practice to your needs.

Do I need to see a doctor if I feel fine after a fall?

Yes. Healthdirect recommends seeing your doctor after a fall even if you were not injured, because a fall can point to something worth checking, such as balance, blood pressure or medicines.

This article is general information, not personalised medical or fitness advice. Talk to your GP, a physiotherapist or an accredited exercise physiologist before starting a new exercise program if you have a health condition or injury, are pregnant or haven’t been active for a while. In an emergency, call 000.