From the wrestling mat to the treatment room, Kris Grzywniak’s path into physiotherapy has been anything but conventional. A former Polish national team wrestler and coach, now working in private practice, Kris brings a rare blend of lived athletic insight, coaching skills and clinical reasoning to every patient.

When older people fall, it can have life-changing consequences for their future health and wellbeing. Physiotherapists are in a prime position to help prevent falls through targeted exercise programs focused on balance and mobility. Physiotherapists Professors Cathie Sherrington, Cathy Said and Kim Delbaere discuss the updated national Falls Guidelines and the need for a national approach to preventing falls.

As the 2025 Falls Guidelines for Community Care bring prevention, screening and targeted interventions into focus, their real-world impact will depend on how clinicians translate recommendations into everyday care. For physiotherapist Scott Lynch, the guidelines are not an abstract framework but a practical tool woven into systems, assessment and the culture of his mobile practice.

Falls are not an inevitable consequence of aging, yet they remain one of the greatest and most costly public health challenges facing Australia’s older population. At the APASC25 conference in October last year, physiotherapist-researcher Professor Anne-Marie Hill delivered a compelling, evidence-based and practical presentation that reframed falls prevention as a clinical responsibility and a public health imperative.

As April Falls Month casts a spotlight on mobility, independence and dignity later in life, the work of physiotherapists with older people has never been more visible. Julie Rogers’ career challenges assumptions about aged care physiotherapy and shows how deeply rewarding and impactful this area of practice can be.

After almost switching to a career in the finance industry, Sherrie Krampel decided to give physiotherapy one last try. She opened a mobile physiotherapy practice in Melbourne in 2011, predominantly working with older people in their homes, and hasn’t looked back since.

Associate Professor Nick Gilson provides a snapshot of a new program designed to support physically active and connected lifestyles for veterans in Queensland.

Associate researcher Dennis Boer and colleagues have conducted a qualitative study exploring the perspectives of physiotherapists and aged care staff on involving family caregivers in physiotherapy and exercise for residents with dementia.

APA Policy and Government Relations Senior Policy Advisor Mirjana Jovetic explains why it’s so important to champion access to falls prevention programs.