Skip to content
Education

What to Do When an Older Person Falls at Home: 4 Checks Before Lifting and the 112 Decision

When an older relative falls at home, do not lift them straight away. First check consciousness and breathing, then whether they hit their head, then for pain, deformity or shortening in the hip or leg. If there is a suspected fracture, a head injury or they cannot get up on their own, call 112; if there is no injury, help them get up slowly under their own power and have a doctor see them the same week.

What to Do When an Older Person Falls at Home: 4 Checks Before Lifting and the 112 Decision
Key Takeaways
  • Do not lift a fallen older person straight away; check consciousness, breathing, head and hip first.
  • Call 112 for a suspected fracture, a head injury or if they cannot get up.
  • Anyone on blood thinners who hits their head goes to the emergency department, even without symptoms.
  • While waiting on the floor, cover them, give no food or drink, never leave them alone.
  • Even after an uninjured fall, see a doctor the same week; falls tend to recur.

The 30-Second Answer

When an older relative falls at home, do not lift them straight away: first check consciousness and breathing, then whether they hit their head, then for pain and deformity in the hip or leg, and finally whether they can get up under their own power [1][2]. Of the 685,666 fall records that Turkey's 112 service logged for people aged 65 and over between January 2023 and October 2025, 59.2% happened in residential settings such as homes and care homes [5]. One caveat: a fallen person saying "I'm fine" is not enough; hip fractures and head injuries can stay quiet in the first minutes [2][7].

  • Confused, breathing badly, a deformed hip or leg, vomited after hitting their head, or cannot get up on their own: do not move them, call 112 [1][2][6].
  • Takes blood thinners and hit their head: emergency department the same day, even without symptoms [7].
  • No injury and they want to get up: do not lift them; help them roll onto their side, onto their knees and up slowly while holding a sturdy armchair [8].

Written just after World Older Persons' Day on 1 October, this guide combines the 2025 first-aid books of the Turkish Red Crescent (Türk Kızılay) and the Turkish Ministry of Health, Turkey's national 112 fall data and international guidelines dated 2025-2026 to answer, step by step, what to do when an elderly person falls. The content was reviewed under the oversight of the Nova Ambulans Medical Board.

Falls in Older Adults in Turkey: What the 112 Records Show

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the population aged 65 and over reached 9,112,298 in 2024, making up 10.6% of the total population [4]. The same bulletin shows that 1,750,900 older people live alone, and 74.0% of them are women [4]. When someone who lives alone falls, there is nobody to give first aid; we give this its own section below.

A national study published in September 2026 by the Ministry of Health's General Directorate of Emergency Health Services and the Marmara University geriatrics team examined the falls attended by 112 ambulances across the whole of Turkey for the first time [5]. The headline findings:

Indicator (112, January 2023-October 2025, age 65 and over) Value
Total fall records 685,666 [5]
Falls in residential settings such as homes and care homes 406,183 (59.2%); of these, 389,764 (96.0%) at home [5]
Share of falls in residential settings, age 65-74 49.6% [5]
Share of falls in residential settings, age 85 and over 71.1% [5]
Residential falls taken to hospital 93.3% [5]
Records from Istanbul 101,566 (14.8%); 62.0% of them in residential settings [5]

Two things stand out in the table. First, falls move indoors with age: above 85, 7 in every 10 falls happen where the person lives [5]. Second, most home falls attended by a 112 crew end in hospital; a home fall serious enough to bring an ambulance usually does need assessment [5]. In the same records, 96.6% of people had normal consciousness when the crew arrived [5]: being alert does not mean being uninjured.

4 Checks Before Lifting: The First 5 Minutes

The basic rule in the Turkish Red Crescent First Aid Pocket Book 2025 is short: "As a general rule, an ill or injured person should not be moved unless it is necessary." [1] It explains why the instinct to say "come on, up you get" and take an older relative by the arm is wrong. The sequence below adapts the assessment steps in the 2025 books of the Turkish Red Crescent and the Turkish Ministry of Health to a fall at home [1][2].

  1. Make the scene and yourself safe. If there is a wet floor, an overturned chair or a pan left on the stove, deal with it first. If there is someone you can ask for help, call them; the Ministry of Health book says that when moving or lifting a person, "help should be sought first and you should act as a team" [2].
  2. Check 1: Consciousness and breathing. Tap their shoulder and speak to them. If they do not respond and are not breathing normally, call 112 and start Basic Life Support (BLS) [2]. If they do not respond but are breathing, still call 112; in case they vomit, turn them onto their side while keeping the head, neck and trunk in line [2]. Our recovery position guide explains the correct turning technique step by step.
  3. Check 2: Head and neck. Ask "Did you hit your head?" and look for swelling or a wound on the scalp. The Ministry of Health book asks you to assume that anyone with a head or neck injury also has a spinal injury until proven otherwise [2]. If there is neck or back pain, do not move them [1].
  4. Check 3: Hip, legs and arms. Ask where it hurts and compare the two legs side by side. If one leg looks shorter, the foot is turned outwards, or the person cannot put weight on the foot or cannot move the leg at all, think fracture [2][3]. The Ministry of Health is clear: "If you are not sure whether a bone is broken, treat it as broken." [2]
  5. Check 4: Can they get up under their own power? If all three checks above are clear and the person wants to get up, move on to the method in the next section. If they try without pain but cannot manage it, do not force them; call 112 [6][8].
  6. Ask what happened. Did they slip, feel dizzy, or black out for a moment? The Ministry of Health book says to ask "What happened to you?" and "Does anything hurt?" and to leave diagnosis to the doctor [2]. If fainting came before the fall, the doctor needs to know; our fainting guide covers this distinction in detail.

During these checks, give nothing to eat or drink, not even water; the Turkish Red Crescent explicitly forbids this when a fracture is suspected [1].

Lift, 112 or Doctor? The Decision Table

The Ministry of Health book sums up when to call 112 in three questions: Is the situation life-threatening? Could it get worse? Could moving the ill or injured person cause further injury? If the answer to any is "yes" or uncertain, call 112 [2]. For a fall at home, those three questions translate as follows:

What do you see? What to do
No response, abnormal breathing 112, Basic Life Support (BLS) if needed [2]
Confused, slurred speech, facial droop, arm weakness 112 [2]
Severe hip or groin pain, shortened leg, foot turned outwards, cannot bear weight Do not move them, 112 [2][3]
Neck or back pain Do not move them, 112 [1]
Hit their head, then vomited, headache not easing, or cannot remember the event 112 [2][7]
Takes blood thinners and hit their head, no symptoms right now Emergency department the same day; 112 if symptoms start [7]
No pain but cannot get up on their own 112; do not try to lift them [6][8]
No injury, got up by themselves Observe, doctor the same week [6]

Why Hip Fractures Are Missed

Among the signs of a fracture, the Ministry of Health book lists pain that increases with movement, shortening or bending of the affected limb, and "being unable to move it at all (for example, being unable to walk)" [2][3]. The same book adds that shock signs may appear when the thigh bone or pelvis is broken; these include cold, pale and clammy skin, a fast and weak pulse, and anxiety and restlessness [2]. Do not raise the legs in this case: according to the Ministry of Health book, raising the feet in hip and leg injuries causes further harm [2]. Do not make someone walk who says "I can walk" but cannot put weight on the painful leg. We cover splinting and immobilisation for fractures and dislocations separately in our fracture and dislocation first aid guide.

If Someone on Blood Thinners Hits Their Head

In its 2023 head injury guideline, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that ambulance crews and GPs refer anyone who has hit their head and takes anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication (except aspirin alone) to a hospital emergency department [7]. The same list includes loss of consciousness because of the injury, vomiting afterwards, a persistent headache and not remembering events before or after the injury [7]. Blood-thinning medicines are common at home: warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban, dabigatran and clopidogrel are some of them. If you do not know which one they take, bring the medicine boxes with you. Our concussion guide looks closely at how insidious head injuries can be in older adults.

No Injury: How They Get Up Under Their Own Power

For people helping someone who has fallen, the clearest warning is on the falls page of the UK National Health Service (NHS), reviewed in March 2025: "Carefully help them get up if they can, but do not try to lift them yourself." [8] Pulling someone up by the arms puts both your back and an unnoticed fracture at risk. The National Health Service (NHS) suggests this sequence for the person who has fallen [8]:

  1. Take your time. Rest where you are for a few minutes and catch your breath.
  2. Roll onto your side. Then push up with your arms onto your hands and knees.
  3. Reach something stable. A heavy armchair, the edge of a bed or a sturdy chair; crawl to it if it is out of reach. Do not use a wheelchair or a stool that can slide.
  4. Put one foot on the floor. Holding the furniture, with one knee still on the floor, put the other foot flat on the floor.
  5. Stand up slowly and sit down straight away. As soon as they are up, they sit in the armchair and rest [8].

Stay beside them, steady the chair, and put a folded towel under the knee if needed. If pain starts, they feel dizzy or they run out of strength at any step, stop and do not force it; help them stay comfortable where they are and call 112 [6][8].

This skill can be practised in advance. In a 2026 randomised pilot trial run by Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland with 61 people aged 65 and over, 100% of those who received 20 minutes of floor-rise training a week for five weeks could get up unaided from lying on their back, compared with only 63% in the group that watched a video [11]. Rehearsing these moves with a physiotherapist before a fall happens may shorten the time spent on the floor in a real fall [11].

Cannot Get Up: On the Floor Until the Ambulance Arrives

A 2026 review from Germany reports that half of people aged 65 and over who fall cannot get up on their own and have to wait for help; those who lie on the floor for a long time are more likely to withdraw from daily activities, become more dependent and move into a nursing home within a year [9]. A 2025 systematic review from England reports that ambulance and community first responders are encouraged to take patients who have been on the floor for one hour or more to hospital [10]. In other words, "let's wait, maybe they'll get up by themselves" costs time.

After you call 112:

  • Do not leave them alone. The Ministry of Health fracture training presentation says the first aider should not leave the person alone even while calling for help [3].
  • Cover them. A blanket, coat or towel; a cold floor lowers body temperature quickly [8].
  • If a fracture or spinal injury is suspected, leave them in the position they are in. The Turkish Red Crescent says the injured person should not be moved until the broken area is immobilised [1].
  • If they are not in pain, small movements help. The National Health Service (NHS) suggests that someone waiting for help gently moves their arms and legs and changes position about every 30 minutes [8]. This does not apply to anyone with a suspected fracture.
  • Give no food or drink [1].
  • Get the information ready. When they fell (or when they were last seen up and about), the medicines they take, their long-term conditions and their ID card; leave the door open and light up the building entrance. For the waiting minutes, our guide to the minutes until the ambulance arrives offers a separate checklist.

What Not to Do

  • Pulling them up by the arms or under the armpits [8].
  • Saying "come on, try walking" and putting weight on the painful leg; walking someone with a suspected fracture [2][3].
  • Trying to straighten a deformed leg or arm [2].
  • Giving water, tea or food when a fracture is possible [1].
  • Raising the feet in a hip or leg injury [2].
  • Waiting until morning with someone on blood thinners who hit their head and says "I'm fine" [7].
  • Hiding the fall from the doctor. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline recommends asking people at routine appointments whether they have fallen in the last year [6]; at home, ask now and then too: "Have you fallen recently?"

A Fall Is Not "Over": The Days After

In its April 2025 falls guideline, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends a comprehensive falls assessment for people who have fallen in the last year and meet any of these criteria: injured in a fall and needed medical or surgical treatment, lost consciousness related to a fall, unable to get up independently after a fall, or two or more falls in the last year [6]. This assessment looks at medicines, balance, eyesight and hazards at home together.

In practice: even after an uninjured fall, see the family doctor or a geriatric clinic within the same week and tell the doctor three things: how the fall happened, whether there was dizziness or fainting beforehand, and whether the person could get up on their own [2][6]. If a medicine has been started or its dose changed recently, bring the medicine list.

Notes by age:

  • Age 65-74: In the 112 data, about half (50.4%) of falls in this group happen outside the home, for example in the street or at a health facility [5]. The same four checks apply to someone who falls outdoors.
  • Age 85 and over: 71.1% of falls happen where the person lives [5]. In this age group, take every "small fall" seriously; being unable to get up unaided is on its own a reason for assessment [6].
  • Children: Falls in children follow a different course and the 112 criteria differ; see our parents' guide to children's emergencies for details.

Preparing for a Relative Who Lives Alone

In Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data, 1,750,900 older people live alone [4]. When they fall, there is nobody to carry out the first-aid steps, and the longer the wait, the greater the risk [9][10]. A few simple arrangements shorten that wait:

  • Keep the phone reachable even from the floor. The National Health Service (NHS) suggests shouting or banging on a wall or the floor to attract attention if a phone or alarm is out of reach [8]; carrying the phone in a pocket or on a neck cord reduces that need.
  • Set a daily check-in time. A short phone call at the same time every morning and evening; if there is no answer, a neighbour or the building caretaker checks.
  • Leave a spare key with a neighbour. A 112 crew that does not have to wait at the door saves minutes.
  • Practise getting up from the floor. Practising the five steps above with a physiotherapist, before any fall, pays off in the real moment [11].

For other aspects of care at home, see our article on home care and ambulance support for older adults.

Getting to the Follow-Up Appointments After a Fall

If the fall involves a fracture, a head injury or being unable to get up, the number to call is always 112; a private ambulance does not replace 112 in that situation.

The real difficulty often starts after the emergency department. Take an 82-year-old father who slipped in the bathroom, had hip surgery and now cannot manage the stairs down from the fourth floor of a building without a lift: he still needs to get to his orthopaedic check-up, have his stitches out or attend a physiotherapy assessment. On these appointment days, Nova Ambulans' home-to-hospital transfer service takes care of bringing him down the stairs on a stretcher, getting him to hospital and bringing him back home; when you call, just tell us the appointment time, which floor you live on and whether there is a lift: +90 216 339 00 39.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you lift an older person straight after a fall?

No. The general rule in the Turkish Red Crescent First Aid Pocket Book 2025 is that an ill or injured person should not be moved unless necessary [1]. First check consciousness and breathing, whether they hit their head, and whether there is pain, deformity or shortening in the hip or leg [2]. If any of these is present, or if they cannot get up on their own, call 112. If there is no injury, do not lift them yourself; following the UK National Health Service (NHS) advice, help them roll onto their side and onto their hands and knees, then get up slowly under their own power while holding a sturdy piece of furniture [8].

When should you call 112 after an older person falls?

Loss of consciousness or confusion, breathing problems, severe hip or leg pain, deformity, a shortened leg, being unable to bear weight, vomiting or a persistent headache after a head injury, neck or back pain, and being unable to get up off the floor unaided are all reasons to call 112 [1][2][6][7]. The Turkish Ministry of Health First Aid Training Book (May 2025) also says to call 112 if the situation is life-threatening, could get worse, or if moving the person could cause further injury, and whenever you are unsure of the answer [2].

What should you do if an older person on blood thinners hits their head?

Go to the emergency department the same day, even if there are no symptoms. The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2023 head injury guideline recommends that ambulance crews and GPs refer anyone who has hit their head and takes anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication (except aspirin alone) to a hospital emergency department [7]. If they become confused, vomit or their headache worsens, do not take them yourself; call 112 [2].

What do you do if an older person cannot get up and the ambulance is on its way?

Do not leave them alone, cover them with a blanket or coat and give no food or drink, not even water [1][3][8]. If a fracture or spinal injury is suspected, do not move them from the position they are in [1]. If they are not in pain, the UK National Health Service (NHS) suggests gently moving the arms and legs and changing position about every 30 minutes [8]. Estimate how long they have been on the floor and tell the crew: people who have been on the floor for an hour or more are among those it is recommended to take to hospital [10].

They fell but were not hurt. Should they still see a doctor?

Yes, see the family doctor or a geriatric clinic within the same week. The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2025 falls guideline recommends a comprehensive falls assessment for people who were injured in a fall and needed treatment, lost consciousness in connection with a fall, could not get up on their own after a fall, or have fallen two or more times in the last year [6]. The assessment looks at medicines, balance and hazards at home together.

Rapid Emergency Support

24/7 emergency ambulance service across Istanbul. Fast response, fully equipped team.

Call Now: (0216) 339 00 39WhatsAppView Emergency Ambulance Service

Average response time: 15 seconds

Related Articles

Education

Concussion Symptoms After a Fall or Head Injury: Bystander Guide (2026)

After a fall or head injury, concussion symptoms bystanders must recognize, step-by-step first aid, the CDC HEADS UP danger signs that require calling 112 immediately, age-specific notes for children and elderly patients, and the recovery timeline — grounded in Türk Kızılay 2025 First-Aid Pocket Book pp.19-20 and 47-48, T.C. Ministry of Health May 2025 First-Aid Training Book Chapter X.A and VII.B, Gazi University Pediatric Emergency PECARN application review, Turkish Neurosurgery 2025 national survey (n=1,875 neurosurgeons), JAMA April 2026 pediatric concussion systematic review, and CDC HEADS UP with WHO falls data.

Education

Home Care and Ambulance Support for Elderly Individuals

How can you plan ambulance support for safe transport, check-ups, and emergencies in your elderly relative's home care process?

Education

Dog and Cat Bite First Aid: Rabies Risk, the 15-Minute Wash and When to Call 112

If a dog or cat bites or scratches you, wash the wound at once with plenty of soap and water for at least 15 minutes, press directly on it if it bleeds, cover it with a clean cloth and go to a health facility the same day. Rabies cannot be treated once symptoms begin; a doctor decides whether you need the vaccine. Call 112 for bleeding that pressure does not stop or for any threat to life.

Nova Ambulans Medical Board
Periodically reviewed by our editorial board of emergency physicians, paramedics and clinical coordinators.
Meet the team

Popular Ambulance Topic Clusters

You may also like

This content is informational only and does not replace professional medical evaluation. In emergencies, call 112 or +90 216 339 00 39.

    Emergency CallWhatsApp