Falls Recovery Service helps isolated customer stuck on the floor for four hours

72-year-old David, who lives in Amber Valley, was referred to Revival after falling in his living room and finding himself unable to get up.

He was referred to the support specialist’s Falls Recovery Service. The 24-hour, 365 day service supports people who have fallen in their home. The team are alerted when emergency alarms are activated by customers. The team then attend the home with specialist support equipment to help customers safely back onto their feet.

Support Worker Kay (pictured below) stepped in to help David get back onto his feet, prevent further falls and remain at home living independently.

“Amber Valley is quite a remote area and David didn’t have any friends or family around him. thankfully he did have a falls alarm installed at home.

“I was called out at 8am after he’d fallen. He’d been there since 3am and didn’t want to press the alarm or bother anyone.

“I helped him up and made sure he was OK. He wasn’t injured but it was clear he was struggling and wasn’t looking after himself or his home.

“He had a mouse problem and told me he’d put poison down. He’d also been vomiting and wasn't sure if he’d poisoned himself.

“He had limited mobility, was using a walking stick and was walking a five-mile round trip to fetch his food and essentials.

Kay worked with David to help improve his living situation and manage better at home.

“David told me he was struggling with his health, his reduced mobility and that he needed help. 

“I contacted his GP and asked for further support with his health issues and for his medication to be reviewed. I also asked for his GP to do a home visit to support with the possible poisoning too.

“I arranged for his home to be deep cleaned and contacted adult social care to arrange care services to support him at home.”

Kay said the result could have been much worse for David after being on the floor for such a long period of time.

“Falling at home can have serious consequences, especially for older people. It’s worse when people have what’s called a long-lie fall, like David did, where they fall and are left on the floor for a long period of time.

“It can have further complications and can cause muscle and tissue damage.

David was grateful for Kay’s support and is glad to be back on his feet.

“I fell over but couldn’t get back up again, I can usually lever myself back up but this time I was stuck.

“I pressed my falls alarm button for the first time, so I didn’t know what to expect. 

“When Kay arrived, it was so reassuring, and she helped me back up on my feet again.

“I was so grateful for Kay’s help. The service was efficient and I’m just grateful to be on my feet again.