Who I am

As a Registered Nurse for over 30 years, I’ve spent most of my career working with adults over 65, so falls prevention has been an underlying theme throughout. I led the development of a falls prevention and management care pathway for community and acute care, and also developed a comprehensive fall risk assessment tool for use in a nurse-led falls clinic. But it wasn’t until I completed my master’s thesis on the subject of Older Women’s Experiences of Falling that I really understood the debilitating psychological impact that a fall can have on an individual.

My Fall Experience:

Since completing that work, I have experienced 2 major falls in my life. The first when I was in my late 40’s when I slipped on some water on a tiled floor. This resulted in minor surgery on my knee and a recovery period of almost 2 years. Then, just as I was getting somewhere near normal functioning, I fell off a jogging machine at my local gym—on the same knee. After a gradual loss of ability and confidence, I needed a total knee replacement. I was only 56.

Two Things about falls:

Over the years, I have learned 2 things about falls. First, while there has been a lot of research conducted on the psychological consequences of falls, there has been little done to actually support an individual who has experienced a fall in overcoming this fear.  Second, the fear of falling is not just an “older” person’s problem.

However, even with all my knowledge and experience with falls prevention and management, the fear that came from experiencing a fall and the potential of further falls surprised me, and I know from talking to my patients and other fallers that I am not the only one. 

My promise to you:

My goal is to share with you the lessons I have learned in my professional and personal fall journey in order to provide you with practical and achievable solutions to dealing with the fear of falling, reducing your risk of further falls, and helping you get back to living your life with confidence.
 

Heather.