What to do if you are hurt

If you have fallen and you feel you may be hurt or cannot get up from the floor on your own, follow the advice below:

1. Do not attempt to get up. Move away from anything hard and hot.



2. Try to get comfortable on the floor by moving onto something soft such as carpeting or clothing. Cover yourself with a blanket to keep warm. Tense your leg and arm muscles regularly to produce heat.



3. Try to frequently change your position or roll from side to side every half hour to allow adequate blood circulation and to avoid pressure sore problems.

4. Attract attention to get some help by shouting, banging on a wall or the floor with a shoe or walking stick, using the phone if in reach, or a personal alarm.



5. Stay calm, try to get comfortable and wait for help to arrive.

And some last advice: If you are having frequent falls indoors, it is a good idea during the day to keep a flask of hot drink (e.g. herbal tea, not coffee) on a low table. If you fall and are able to reach this, you can have a warm drink to prevent getting cold (hypothermia) or dehydrated. However it would be more advisable to have a personal alarm which hangs like a necklace around your neck or to consider wearing a hip protector.