Falls Prevention Service - Quality Life Enablement

10/11/2025

❄️ Winter’s Coming– time to show your scooter some love! 🧤

As the chilly weather sets in, don’t forget to give your mobility scooter a bit of TLC.

A few simple steps can help keep it running smoothly:

🚗 Keep it clean: Wipe off any mud, rain, or salt after your trips – it’ll help stop rust and keep things looking fresh.

🔋 Charge it up: Cold weather can drain your battery quicker, so make sure you give it a good charge and store it somewhere warm. We recommend a good 8-10 hours charge after use and once weekly if not being used.

☔ Stay covered: If your scooter lives outdoors, a waterproof cover is a must – it’ll protect it from rain and frost or even a canopy for trips out through the winter months.

🛞 Check tyres and lights: Slippery paths and darker days mean it’s extra important to have good grip and bright lights!

Take a few minutes to look after your scooter now, and it’ll look after you all winter long. 💙

We do have slots available for servicing if you mobility equipment requires a check over before the winter months as well just drop us a message to get booked in 😊

10/11/2025

Question - Do you ever talk to your elderly loved one about whether they are worried about falling?

If not, watch this video.

08/11/2025

Talking about falls isn’t about scaring people — it’s about empowering them.

Falling over is one of the most common causes of anxiety in older adults, but the good news is there are lots of things you can do to reduce your chances of falling.

When you understand falls prevention, you can start taking steps that help you stay safe, steady, and confident.

💡 Knowledge is power — learning about falls prevention is one of the most empowering things you can do for your independence and peace of mind.


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06/11/2025

🌟 It’s OT Week! 🌟
This year’s theme is “Right Support, Right Time – Unlocking the Power of OT”

This campaign highlights how occupational therapy helps people stay well for longer and avoid crisis.

As an OT specialising in falls prevention, this message couldn’t be more relevant!

Falls prevention is all about keeping older adults safe and independent for as long as possible. As an OT, I advocate for putting steps in place before that first fall happens.

Through simple adjustments to the home environment, balance and mobility practice, small aids, and education — OTs provide a truly holistic approach to falls prevention.

Here’s to celebrating the value of occupational therapy — and looking ahead to smarter, earlier support for a stronger, more confident future.

06/11/2025

✨ Fall/Care Alarms – Should your elderly loved one have one?✨

Care alarms are simple devices, usually worn around the neck or wrist, with one button that can call for help if someone has a fall.

I tend to compare them to insurance — you pay for it, hope you’ll never need it, but it’s a godsend if you do.

They can be the difference between being stuck on the floor for hours and being able to alert for help immediately.

I personally advocate for my clients to have one.

Follow my page for more falls prevention advice and tips to help older adults stay safe and independent.

04/11/2025

✨ Starting to Struggle With Walking? ✨

Did you know that around 40% of the time you’re walking, you’re actually balancing on one leg?

If you don’t feel confident or steady when balancing on one leg, it can affect how you walk — and how steady or confident you feel while doing so.

👉 Practising standing on one leg (safely!) can help. Try to work up to 30 seconds unsupported, but build up gradually over time.

Because changes to walking and balance are very individual, it’s best to have an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist assess your walking and provide tailored advice.

If you’re in Sheffield, I can help. Reach out if you or a loved one want to stay steady and independent with walking.

👉 Follow for more falls prevention tips and advice.

03/11/2025

✨ Myth Busting Monday! ✨

Myth:
Attending seated exercise classes is enough to reduce falls.

Truth:
While seated exercises can have great benefits — such as improving strength, increasing activity and socialising — they won’t help to prevent falls on their own.

That’s because to improve balance, your body needs to be challenged while standing. Balance exercises help your muscles, joints, and brain work together to keep you steady and safe during daily activities.

If you are starting to feel more unsteady then contact me and I can help guide you through safe standing balance exercises.

31/10/2025

👻 Is the scariest thing you’ve seen this Halloween how unsteady your elderly loved one seems when walking?

I’m Catherine — an Occupational Therapist specialising in helping older adults improve their walking and balance so it doesn’t give you such a fright.

Falls can be scary, but the good news is there’s so much that can be done to build confidence and stability.

Exercises can make all the difference — helping your loved one stay safe, active, and independent. 🎃

📍Based in Sheffield | Supporting older adults reduce the risk of falls.

29/10/2025

Progressing from being too scared to do a single step to now doing weighted step ups! What an achievment!

29/10/2025

"I go for a walk everyday, that's my exercise..."

So many people tell me that they don't need an exercise programme as they go out for a walk every day.

Dont get me wrong, this is amazing! There are incredible benefits to walking, particuarly outdoors.

However maintaining and even building muscle is so important for promoting long term health and independence and this can only be done throught strength training ie picking up, pulling and pushing heavy (ish) weights!

A daily walk is good. But adding strength training? Even better. 💪

Lifting, pushing, or pulling builds more than muscle — it strengthens your bones, sharpens your balance, and keeps aging bodies resilient.

https://monkeylink.co/09bf66

28/10/2025

2 Simple & Quick Balance Exercises

These exercises are meant to make you wobble — that’s how you challenge and improve your balance!

Before you start, make sure you’re safe:
Stand next to something steady, like your kitchen counter, the back of a sturdy sofa, or a dining table.
In my video, I have a wall and a yellow chair nearby — but the chair isn’t very stable, so I wouldn’t recommend using one that could tip easily.

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1️⃣ Stand on one leg
Hold for 30 seconds, then switch feet.

2️⃣ Tandem stand
Place one foot directly in front of the other (heel to toe) and hold for 30 seconds, then switch which foot is in front.

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✅ Keep your posture upright throughout — try not to lean or collapse forward.

✅ The goal is to do these without holding on, but that’s something to work up to.
If you need support at first, that’s completely fine! You can try lightly lifting your hand on and off the surface until you build up your confidence and balance.

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Safety Note:
These can both be challenging.
If you’re unsure whether you can do them safely, please avoid them or have someone with you — such as a family member — who can help steady you.
There are also ways to adapt these exercises to make them easier or harder.
Feel free to contact me to discuss these.

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27/10/2025

🌍 World Occupational Therapy Day 2025 🌍

Myth:
“Occupational Therapists just hand out aids and equipment.”

Truth:
Occupational Therapists support people to do the daily activities (or occupations) that are meaningful and important to them — whether that’s making a cup of tea, getting out to the shops, gardening, dressing, or staying active in the community.

In the context of falls prevention, Occupational Therapists look at the whole picture.
We identify what may be increasing someone’s risk of falling — this could be balance, confidence, the home environment, or daily routines — and then work together to create strategies that help keep them safe and independent.

Yes, sometimes this may include recommending equipment or adaptations…
…but it can also involve:
• Developing tailored exercise or movement plans
• Supporting confidence and steady walking
• Teaching techniques for daily activities
• Reducing trip hazards at home
• Working alongside family or carers
• Encouraging meaningful activity to keep bodies strong and minds active

The goal is always the same:
To help people stay safe, steady, and independent in their own lives.