Pathway Step 4 · Build your kit

🧰 Patient Tools Kit — Falls-Prevention

The everyday tools a Certified Prepared Patient keeps within reach: the rules that decide an emergency, the order to make calls, and the trackers that keep the routine on course. Print the cards, fill in your contacts, and keep this kit where the whole household can find it.

What’s in your kit

Eight tools. The first three are the rules you must know cold — they decide when something is an emergency. The rest keep the daily partnership steady and tell you where your role begins and ends.

1 The Home Hazard Rule 2 The Strength / Balance Rule 3 Other Red Flags 4 The Contact Ladder 5 Balance Practice 6 Fall-Risk Med Review 7 The ER Go-Bag 8 Speak Up / Trust the Team
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1 · The Home-Hazard Rule

Know this cold

Most falls happen at home, on familiar floors. Most are preventable. A home walkthrough finds hazards — fixing them cuts falls dramatically.

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FALLS HOME HAZARD RULE

Patient card
Throw rugs out
Throw rugs are the #1 fall hazard. Remove all of them. If you must keep one, double-sided tape.
Lighting + path
Nightlights in halls and bathroom. Clear paths to bathroom for nighttime trips.
Grab bars + nonslip
Bathroom grab bars (toilet, shower). Nonslip bath mat. Replace any worn ones.
Your move as patient: Do a home walkthrough together. Fix every hazard you find. Re-audit yearly — new clutter accumulates. Get an OT home assessment if available.
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2 · The Strength + Balance Rule

Know this cold

Daily balance and strength exercises cut fall risk significantly. The single most important medicine for falls is exercise.

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FALLS EXERCISE RULE

Patient card
Tai chi or similar
Tai chi has the strongest evidence for fall prevention in older adults. 1-2 hours per week.
Strength training
2-3x per week strength training (chair stands, resistance bands, light weights). Maintains the leg muscles that prevent falls.
PT for balance
After any fall — or any fear of falling — PT is gold. Insurance usually covers.
Your move as patient: Encourage daily exercise. Look for tai chi classes in the community (many libraries, senior centers, YMCAs offer free or low cost). Schedule PT after falls or balance issues.
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3 · Other Red Flags — Emergencies

Know this cold

Beyond the two red rules above, these situations also mean immediate help. When in doubt, the home care plan handles ordinary days — these are not ordinary.

🚴 Fall + cannot bear weight

Cannot put weight on a limb after fall — possible fracture. ED.

ED now

🧠 Fall + confusion

Confusion after fall could mean head injury, especially on blood thinners. ED.

ED now

🔥 Falls 2+ in 6 months

Recurrent falls warrant comprehensive workup — medications, vision, neurology, orthostatic BP.

Call team today

🫔 New back pain after fall

Especially in older adults — can be vertebral compression fracture. ED.

ED today
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4 · The Contact Ladder

Fill in & print

When something is wrong, you should not be deciding who to call in the moment — only which rung you are on. Fill in the names and numbers now, while things are calm.

1
Rung 1 · The plan

You's fall-prevention plan

Home setup, exercise schedule, medicine review, vision check schedule.

Action plan kept: ________________________
2
Rung 2 · The specialists

Geriatrician / PT / falls clinic

Comprehensive falls assessment for high-risk patients.

Specialty team: ________________________
3
Rung 3 · Everyday care

Primary care provider

For medicine review (sedating meds), vision check referrals, orthostatic BP check.

Primary care: ________________________
4
Rung 4 · Emergency

911 / Emergency Department

For fall with possible fracture, head injury, confusion.

Preferred ED: ________________________
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5 · Daily Balance / Strength Exercises

Tap to log

Tap one icon for each balance or strength exercise done today (PT-prescribed, tai chi class, home routine).

Goal: at least 3-5 per day. Pattern matters — daily practice cuts fall risk significantly.

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6 · Medicine Review for Fall Risk

Daily routine

Many common medicines raise fall risk: sleep aids, anti-anxiety medicines, opioids, antihistamines (Benadryl), antidepressants, certain BP medicines. A medicine review with the pharmacist often finds removable risks.

The high-yield review: ask the pharmacist to do a comprehensive medicine review focused on fall risk. They often find 1-3 medicines that can be reduced, stopped, or swapped — cutting fall risk substantially.

Sleep aids

Zolpidem (Ambien), trazodone, others. Major fall-risk in older adults. Often replaceable with sleep hygiene + cognitive therapy.

Anticholinergics

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), oxybutynin, others. Cause confusion + falls. Often replaceable.

Orthostatic BP check

Some BP medicines drop pressure on standing — falls. Check lying vs standing BP at every visit.

Vitamin D

For older adults with low levels, vitamin D supplementation reduces fall risk modestly.

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7 · The ER Go-Bag

Pack once, check monthly

A crisis is not the time to gather paperwork. Pack a go-bag now and keep it by the door. Tap each item as you add it — your checklist saves on this device.

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8 · Speak Up / Trust the Team Guide

You boundary

The hardest skill in patienting is knowing when to act and when to hold back. A great patient is a reliable backup and a fierce advocate — without taking your own care away from them.

💬 Speak up when…

  • A red-flag rule is met and a clinician is dismissing it — restate the rule and the home plan calmly and clearly.
  • You are in the ED and your home plan is being ignored — ask for it to be looked at, and ask for a senior clinician if needed.
  • You are about to be given a medicine or test that wasn’t in the plan — ask why, and ask about alternatives.
  • Your symptoms are escalating between visits — call before it becomes an ER trip.
  • You feel unheard or rushed — it’s OK to say "I need a minute to ask one more question."

🤝 Trust the team when…

  • They have proposed a guideline-based treatment that fits your plan.
  • You disagree from fear rather than from new information — pause, ask one question, listen.
  • You are on a stable run that’s working — small adjustments often beat big changes.
  • Your care partner’s instinct and the team’s recommendation agree — that’s a strong signal.
  • You’ve done your part of the homework — logs, questions, honest history — and now it’s the team’s turn.
The principle: you trained to the depth your clinicians use so you could be a partner in your own care, not a passenger. Speak up for safety and accuracy; trust the team for guideline-based treatment and steady adjustment. When unsure, ask a clarifying question first: “Can you walk me through your reasoning?”
← Back to the Falls-Prevention Patient pathway · then mark Step 4 complete