8 September 2025 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Falls account for more than 40 percent per cent of deaths in people over the age of 65. Emerging research highlights the critical role of physiotherapy in falls prevention and healthy ageing, with the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is calling for reform-makers to fund preventative healthcare accordingly.  

Last fortnight’s release of the review in Cochrane Australia focused on determining the effectiveness of different interventions to prevent falls in older people at care facilities. It found that active and maintained exercise reduced the rate of falls and the risk of falling in older people.

APA National President and leading gerontological physiotherapist Dr Rik Dawson worked on the Cochrane review and said recent research overwhelmingly points to the need for government enacted healthcare reforms.  

‘The evidence tells us that if we want to stop falls from happening, older Australians need increased access to preventative physiotherapy. Funding for physiotherapy-led falls prevention programs will increase access to preventative physiotherapy for ageing Australians,’ Dr Dawson said.

Notably, Dr Dawson works with a myriad of clients who have seen significant improvement in their mobility and independence through the implementation of the national falls prevention guidelines. This includes 95-year-old Rita who resides in a Sydney residential aged care and has lived with a range of debilitating conditions.  

Rita was prescribed a physiotherapy-led, telehealth program which enabled her to gain confidence when walking, reduce knee pain, aid in breathing and most importantly, maintain dignity in her life.

‘Physiotherapy gave me back my strength. I’m steadier, I feel safer and I know I can keep living as independently as possible,’ Rita said.

Rita is just one of the many cases in which physiotherapy has been effective in restoring mobility and decreasing the risk of serious injury for older Australians in all settings.  

Additional research shows that physiotherapy reduces falls for those like Rita by 55 per cent in residential aged care, and separately for people living independently at home by 42 per cent.

‘Right now, many older Australians only receive support after a serious injury like a fall. These injuries are often debilitating and lead to repeat hospital visits, reliance on others for care, and, ultimately, the potential for a dangerous decline in overall health. In turn, greater strain is placed on already overcrowded hospitals and the financial burden on the broader health care system increases.’

In 2022-23, injuries from falls cost the Australian health system $5.1 billion. As Australia’s population ages, that amount is only set to grow.

Caitlin McDonald, National Chair of the APA’s Gerontology Group, said gerontological physiotherapists are ready and willing to play a larger role in falls prevention if given the opportunity.

‘Gerontological physiotherapists have an expansive scope which allows us to provide tailored, person-centric care to older people for a range of movement and cognitive concerns.’

‘Preventing falls for ageing Australians is what we do—physiotherapists are highly trained to improve the mobility of their clients through assessing and managing their conditions. Frailty and pain are a really common experience for older Australians and physiotherapists can tailor programs for the individual depending on their functional and cognitive capacity,’ McDonald said.  

‘It doesn’t have to be this way,’ Dr Dawson said. ‘If the federal government enacts reforms which increase access to and funding for preventative physiotherapy programs, we can keep more older Australians mobile, healthy and living independent lives, easing system pressures across the board.’

-ENDS-

Dr Rik Dawson is the APA National President and a contributor to works related to falls prevention, including the Cochrane Review and the RACS guidelines. Caitlin McDonald is the National Chair for the APA Gerontological committee, and a highly trained professional in this space.  

Rita, Dr Rik Dawson and Caitlin McDonald are all available for interview.

For further information, please contact Claire Macuz-Witte, Media and Public Relations Manager:
M (+61 3) 9092 0838
E APA.media@australian.physio