If an older person has fallen, do not rush to lift them. First check for signs that need an ambulance: call 999 if they are unconscious, in severe pain, have an obviously injured hip or leg, have hit their head and take blood-thinning medication, or cannot get up. If they are unhurt, help them up slowly, their way, and tell the GP about the fall even when all seems well.
A fall is frightening for everyone involved, and the minutes afterwards are exactly when families most need a clear head. This guide covers what to check, when to call for help, how someone can get up safely, and, just as important, what to arrange in the days after a fall, because the follow-up is where the difference gets made.
What should you check first?
Resist the instinct to pull the person straight up. Kneel down to their level, keep them warm, and check calmly.
Are they responding normally, awake, talking, making sense? Are they in pain, and where? Can they move their arms and legs? Did they hit their head? Is there bleeding? Does one leg look shortened or turned outward, a possible sign of a hip fracture? Do they take a blood thinner such as warfarin or a DOAC (the box or repeat prescription will say)?
If they cannot get up, keep them warm with a blanket, put a cushion under their head, and encourage them to change position a little every half hour while you get help, a long time on a cold floor causes problems of its own.
When should you call 999?
Call 999 when any of the following applies: they are unconscious or drowsy and hard to wake; you suspect a broken hip or leg, severe pain, unable to bear weight, a leg that looks shortened or rotated; there are signs of stroke (face drooping, one-sided weakness, slurred speech); there is heavy bleeding; they hit their head and take blood-thinning medication, or vomit, become confused or increasingly drowsy after a head knock; or they simply cannot get up and you cannot safely help them.
Do not try to move someone who may have a serious injury, keep them warm and comfortable where they are until the ambulance arrives.
When is it NHS 111 or the GP instead?
If none of the emergency signs is present but something is not right, new pain that is settling but nagging, a graze that needs looking at, or you are simply unsure, NHS 111 (phone or 111.nhs.uk) will triage it properly.
Book a GP appointment after any fall, even a "lucky" one with no injury, same day if the person seems at all unwell, shaken or more confused than usual. Sudden confusion after a fall should always be checked promptly: in older people it often has a treatable physical cause, and it is never something to work out at home.
How can someone get up safely after a fall?
Only when they are uninjured and feel able. The safe pattern, which the NHS describes in its falls guidance, works in stages: roll onto their side, push up to hands and knees, crawl to a sturdy piece of furniture such as a solid chair, and use it to bring one foot flat to the floor and rise slowly, resting at each stage. The helper's job is to bring the chair close, steady it and encourage, not to haul the person up by their arms, which can injure both of you.
Then sit them somewhere comfortable, make a warm drink, and watch them for the rest of the day. If new symptoms appear, drowsiness, confusion, vomiting, worsening pain, call 111 or 999 as appropriate.
What should happen in the days after a fall?
This is the part families skip, and it matters most. A fall is a signal worth reading, not just an event to recover from.
Tell the GP about the fall even if there is no injury, and ask about a falls review. The GP can check the things that commonly contribute, blood pressure (including on standing), vision, feet and footwear, bone health, and refer on where useful. NICE's guidance on falls in older people is the framework behind these reviews.
Ask for a medication review. Some medicines, and some combinations, can contribute to dizziness or unsteadiness, the GP or any pharmacist can review them. Never stop or change a medicine yourself.
Consider the home. A falls assessment through the GP or the council's adult social care team (0300 200 1005 in Surrey) can bring an occupational therapist's eye to grab rails, lighting, loose rugs and stairs, and equipment where it would help.
Ask about strength and balance. Group and home-based strength and balance programmes exist across Surrey through the NHS and local services; the GP or Age UK Surrey can point to what is available locally.
Think about the pattern of the day. If falls happen at particular times, night-time bathroom trips, first thing in the morning, that pattern is useful information for the GP, and for planning any support at home.
Where does home care fit in?
Honestly: care workers do not prevent falls, and you should be wary of any provider that claims otherwise. What regular visits do provide is presence and attention, help at the times of day that are hardest, someone noticing hazards around the home and raising them with the family, and someone there so that if a fall does happen, it is found in minutes rather than hours. Overnight support, a sleeping or waking night, exists for exactly the night-time worry many families describe.
If a fall has started a bigger conversation in your family about support at home, our guide to the home care assessment explains what arranging help actually involves.
Frequently asked questions
Should you lift an elderly person who has fallen?
Not straight away, and never by pulling their arms. Check first for injury and the 999 signs. If they are unhurt, help them up their own way in stages, side, hands and knees, up via a sturdy chair, steadying and encouraging rather than lifting their weight yourself.
When should a fall in an elderly person go to hospital?
Call 999 for unconsciousness, suspected hip or leg fracture, stroke signs, heavy bleeding, or a head injury in someone on blood-thinning medication. After other head knocks, watch closely: vomiting, confusion or increasing drowsiness afterwards also means urgent help.
What is the danger of lying on the floor for a long time?
A long lie on a cold floor can cause cold injury, pressure damage and muscle problems, and it makes everything harder to recover from. If someone cannot get up, keep them warm, cushion their head, encourage small position changes, and get help rather than waiting to see.
Why does the GP need to know about a fall with no injury?
Because falls usually have causes, blood pressure, medication, vision, strength, footwear, hazards at home, and many are treatable or fixable. A falls review after the first fall is how the pattern gets interrupted; the NHS and NICE both recommend exactly this.
Can home care stop falls from happening?
No, and no honest provider will claim it can. What visits provide is help at the riskiest times of day, another pair of eyes on hazards to raise with the family, and someone present so a fall is discovered quickly. The formal route to reducing risk is a falls review via the GP or council.
If night-times or mornings have become the worry in your house, we are happy to talk through what support could look like, a free assessment, no obligation. Call 01372 386222 or contact us online.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Every situation is different, in an emergency call 999, use NHS 111 for urgent concerns, and speak to the GP about the person's own health and falls risk.
Last reviewed: 4 August 2026. Written by Sharon Draper, Aims Group Manager, Aims Homecare. Reviewed by Shazad Hashmi, Nominated Individual, BA (Hons). Next review: August 2027.