1. Make an appointment with your healthcare team

Start by making an appointment with your healthcare professional. To assess your risk and discuss fall prevention strategies, your healthcare team may want to talk about the following:

• Your medicines. Make a list of your prescription and nonprescription medicines and supplements or bring them with you to the appointment. Your healthcare team can review your medicines for side effects and interactions that may increase your risk of falling. To help with fall prevention, your care team may consider weaning you off medicines that make you tired or affect your thinking. These include sedatives, antihistamines and some types of antidepressants.
• Any previous falls. Write down the details, including when, where and how you fell. Be prepared to discuss instances when you almost fell but were caught by someone or managed to grab hold of something just in time. These details may help your care team identify specific fall prevention strategies.
• Your health conditions. Some eye and ear issues may increase your risk of falls. Be prepared to discuss your health conditions and how comfortable you are when you walk. For example, do you feel any dizziness, joint pain, shortness of breath, or numbness in your feet and legs when you walk? Your healthcare professional may evaluate your muscle strength, balance and walking style, called gait, as well.