What to Do After a Fall When You Live Alone

In the moments right after a fall, with no one there to ask, a clear plan helps. Here are two simple branches -- 'I can get up' and 'I can't get up' -- and how to make sure someone knows.

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In a study of adults in their 90s, 80% could not get up unaided after a fall and 30% were on the floor for an hour or more (Fleming & Brayne, BMJ 2008) -- so knowing what to do, and having a way to reach help, matters most when you are on your own.

The Challenge

You have fallen, you are alone, and you are not sure whether it is safe to move

Getting up the wrong way can make an injury worse or cause a second fall

If you cannot reach your phone, no one may know you need help for hours

How I'm Alive Helps

A clear two-branch plan -- get up safely, or stay put and stay warm -- removes the panic of deciding alone

Check-first phone fall detection reaches your contacts for you if you cannot get up or cannot reach your phone

Reporting every fall to someone helps catch the cause before the next one

First: stay still and check yourself over

The instinct after a fall is to jump straight back up. Resist it. Taking a moment to assess prevents a bad situation from getting worse. (These are general first-aid steps, not medical advice -- if you are seriously hurt, call for emergency help immediately.) Pause and breathe. Give yourself a few seconds to steady yourself before you try to move. Check for injury. Gently feel for pain, especially in your head, hips, wrists, and back. Look for bleeding, and try moving your arms and legs one at a time. Sharp pain, a limb that will not move, a blow to the head, or feeling faint are all reasons to stay put and call for help rather than get up. Decide which branch you are in. If you feel able to move without severe pain, follow the "I can get up" steps below. If you cannot get up safely, follow the "I can't get up" steps. When in doubt, stay down and call for help -- there is no prize for standing up on a possibly injured hip.

Branch A -- if you can get up safely

If you have checked yourself over and feel able to move without severe pain, get up slowly and in stages. Rushing is how people fall a second time. 1. Roll onto your side, then push up onto your hands and knees. 2. Crawl to a sturdy, stable piece of furniture -- a solid chair or the bottom of the stairs. 3. Place both hands on the seat or step. Bring your stronger leg forward so your foot is flat on the floor, keeping the other knee down. 4. Push up through your hands and your front foot, and turn to sit down on the chair. 5. Sit and rest for several minutes before you try to stand and walk. Have a drink of water. Then tell someone. Even a fall you recovered from well is worth mentioning to a family member and your doctor -- a fall can be an early sign of something treatable, and it flags that your risk of a worse fall has gone up. If you had a hard time getting up, that is important information too.

Branch B -- if you can't get up, and how help reaches you

If you cannot get up -- because of pain, weakness, or injury -- the priority shifts to getting help and staying safe on the floor while you wait. Time on the floor is itself a risk (a "long lie"), so the sooner someone knows, the better. Call for help. Use your phone if it is within reach. If fall detection is on, it will already have checked on you and, if you did not respond, alerted your trusted contacts with your location. Stay warm. Cold floors cause the body to lose heat quickly. Pull a nearby blanket, coat, rug, or towel over yourself, and rest your head on something soft if you can. Keep moving what you can. Gently move your arms and legs and shift your weight from time to time to keep circulation going and to protect your skin. Make noise. Bang on a wall or floor, or use a whistle if you have one nearby, in case a neighbour can hear. This branch is exactly why a check-first alert matters when you live alone. If you cannot reach a phone or press a button, phone fall detection reaches out for you: it alerts the contacts you chose with your location, so help is directed to you instead of waiting for someone to notice. Fall detection is coming to the I'm Alive app in our next update (v2.3.0), included from Protect Me. It never calls 911 -- so in a life-threatening emergency, call your local emergency number directly if you can.

Sources

- Fleming J & Brayne C, BMJ 2008;337:a2227 (80% could not get up unaided; 30% on the floor an hour or more): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19015185/ - Long-lie complications (dehydration, pressure injury, hypothermia): https://www.physio-pedia.com/Long_Lie These are general first-aid principles, not medical advice. I'm Alive is a best-effort personal-safety app, not a medical device, and does not call 911.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should you do immediately after a fall?

Stay still and check for injury before moving. Look for pain, bleeding, or a limb that will not move. If you are hurt or cannot get up safely, stay down, stay warm, and call for help. If you feel able, get up slowly in stages using a stable chair.

How do you get up safely after falling?

Roll onto your side, push up onto your hands and knees, crawl to a sturdy chair, place both hands on the seat, bring your stronger foot forward, push up, and turn to sit. Rest for several minutes before standing fully.

When should you call for help after a fall?

Call for help if you have severe pain, cannot move a limb, hit your head, feel faint or confused, are bleeding, or cannot get up. When in doubt, stay down and call. In a life-threatening emergency, call your local emergency number directly.

What if you fall and can't reach your phone?

Keeping your phone on or near you helps avoid this. If fall detection is on, it checks on you first and, if you do not respond, alerts your trusted contacts with your location -- so help can reach you even if you cannot press a button.