Well Senior Hub

Your father is on the floor. Your instinct is to grab him under the arms and pull.

Don’t. That instinct injures both of you more often than anything else in this situation. Shoulders dislocate easily in older adults, and lifting dead weight from a bent position is how caregivers end up with their own back injuries. There is a slower method that works better, and it starts with not touching him at all.

First: stop and assess

Kneel down where he can see you and keep your voice calm. Ask what happened, whether anything hurts, and whether he hit his head. Give him a minute. People are often shaken and disoriented right after a fall, and rushing makes that worse.

Call 911 and do not attempt to move him if any of these are true:

• He hit his head, lost consciousness, or seems confused in a way that isn’t normal for him
• He takes a blood thinner (head injuries carry much higher risk)
• There is severe pain, especially in the hip, back, neck, or a limb
• A leg looks shortened, turned outward, or otherwise wrong
• He can’t move a limb, or there’s numbness or tingling
• He’s bleeding heavily, having trouble breathing, or you don’t know how long he was down

While waiting, keep him warm with a blanket and stay with him. Floors get cold fast, and so do people.

The chair method

If he isn’t hurt and can move on his own, your job is to coach and steady him rather than lift him. Bring a sturdy chair over, one that won’t slide or tip. An armchair against a wall works well.

1. Roll onto the side. Have him turn toward his stronger side, bending the top knee.
2. Push up to a hands-and-knees position. He uses his arms; you stay close but don’t pull.
3. Crawl to the chair. Slowly. There’s no prize for speed here.
4. Place both hands on the seat. Then bring the stronger leg forward so that foot is flat on the floor, knee bent, like a kneeling lunge.
5. Push up through that front leg and both arms, and pivot to sit down on the chair.
6. Sit for several minutes before standing again. Blood pressure drops after lying down, and standing too fast causes a second fall.

Your role throughout is to block the chair from sliding, spot him from the side, and talk him through each step. If he can’t complete a step, stop and call for help. A fire department non-emergency line will often send someone for a lift assist without transporting anyone to the hospital.

Even if he seems fine, watch him

Call his doctor the same day and mention the fall. Some injuries surface hours later, and a head injury in someone on blood thinners can take a day to show symptoms. Watch for new confusion, worsening pain, unusual drowsiness, vomiting, or a headache that keeps building.

Falls also tend to have causes worth investigating: medication side effects, blood pressure that drops on standing, an infection, poor vision, weakness that’s been building quietly. A fall is information, not just an accident.

Prepare before the next one

Most people who fall once will fall again. That isn’t a reason to panic, but it is a reason to plan while nobody is on the floor.

• Practice the chair method together while he’s uninjured and calm. It’s much harder to learn under stress.
• Get a medical alert device he actually wears, including in the shower. One left on the nightstand helps nobody.
• Keep a sturdy chair in the rooms where he spends the most time.
• Ask his doctor for a physical therapy referral. PT can teach a floor-rise technique matched to his specific strength and balance, which is better than any article can offer.
• Deal with the hazards. Loose rugs, dim hallways, no grab bars in the bathroom.

See our bathroom safety checklist →, the whole-home safety walkthrough →, and our guide to medical alert devices →

A word about the part nobody mentions

The fear afterward can be worse than the fall. People start moving less because they’re afraid of falling again, which weakens them, which makes another fall more likely. If you notice a parent avoiding activity after a fall, say something to their doctor. It’s treatable, and it’s common enough to have a name in the medical literature.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. Ask a doctor or physical therapist about techniques appropriate for your specific situation.