What to do if you fall: how to get up safely and when to call 9-1-1

Step-by-step instructions for getting up safely after a fall, what to do if you can't get up, when to call 9-1-1 (including a head injury on blood thinners), and how family can help.

6 min read · last reviewed October 1, 2026

Nobody plans to fall, but having a plan for what to do if you do fall can make a big difference. Knowing how to get up safely, and when to call for help, can help you stay calm and avoid further injury. It can also help your confidence.

Read this guide, share it with your family, and practise the getting-up steps with a physiotherapist or a family member nearby.

Step 1: Stay calm and check yourself

If you fall, don't rush to get up. Lie still for a moment and take a few slow breaths. Then check:

• Do you have pain anywhere, especially your head, neck, back or hip?
• Can you move your arms and legs?
• Do you feel dizzy, confused or faint?

If you are hurt, or you don't feel able to get up, don't try. Go to Step 3.

Step 2: If you feel able to get up

Take your time. Don't try to stand straight up from lying down.

1. Roll onto your side. Bend your top knee and use your arms to help you roll.
2. Get onto your hands and knees. Push up with your arms.
3. Crawl to something sturdy, like a heavy chair, a bed or a solid piece of furniture. Avoid things that might tip or slide.
4. Hold on with both hands and bring one foot forward, flat on the floor, with your knee bent in front of you. Your other knee stays on the floor.
5. Push up slowly with your arms and front leg until you are standing, or turn and sit on the chair.
6. Sit and rest for a while. Check yourself again for pain or injury.

Then tell someone you fell, even if you feel fine. Some injuries show up later.

Something you can do this week: Practise these steps, with someone with you, so they feel familiar. A physiotherapist can teach you safely.

Step 3: If you can't get up

• Call for help. Use your phone, personal alarm or smart speaker if you can reach it. If not, shout, or bang on the floor, a wall or a pipe to get attention.
• Keep warm. Pull down anything you can reach, such as a blanket, towel, coat or tablecloth, to cover yourself.
• Get as comfortable as you can. If you can reach a cushion, put it under your head.
• Keep moving gently. Roll from side to side or move your arms and legs a little. Try to change position about every 30 minutes, to protect your skin and keep your blood flowing.
• If you need to pee, try to move away from the wet area and keep yourself warm.

Lying on the floor for a long time can cause serious problems, including dehydration, pressure sores and getting very cold. This is why carrying a phone or alarm is so important if you live alone.

When to call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number

Call right away if, after a fall, you or the person who fell:

• Hit their head and takes a blood thinner. Go to an emergency department, even if they feel fine. Bleeding inside the head can develop slowly, and a scan may be needed.
• Has any head injury with confusion, drowsiness, a bad or worsening headache, vomiting, a seizure, or blacked out.
• Can't get up, or may have hurt their hip, back or neck.
• Has a leg that looks shorter or turned outward, or can't put weight on it. This can be a broken hip.
• Has chest pain, a racing heartbeat or shortness of breath, or the fall happened because they blacked out.
• Has sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, trouble speaking or a drooping face. These can be signs of a stroke.
• Doesn't respond or isn't breathing normally. Call 9-1-1 and start CPR.

See your doctor soon

Even if you weren't hurt, tell your doctor about any fall. A fall is an important warning sign, and there is a lot that can be done to prevent the next one. See your doctor sooner, within a day or two, if:

• You have pain that is getting worse in the days after a fall.
• You hit your head and notice new headaches, confusion or drowsiness in the days or weeks after. Get help urgently if this happens.
• You've fallen more than once in the past year.
• You couldn't get up on your own.
• You don't know why you fell, or you felt dizzy or faint beforehand.

Falls guidelines recommend a full falls assessment for people who've had more than one fall, were injured, couldn't get up or blacked out. Ask for one.

For family and carers: if someone else falls

• Stay calm and reassure them.
• Don't rush to lift them. Lifting someone the wrong way can injure them, and you.
• Check for injury. If they may be hurt, or can't get up on their own, call 9-1-1. Keep them warm and comfortable until help arrives.
• If they aren't hurt, coach them through the getting-up steps above and steady a chair for them, but let them do the work.
• Afterwards, help them tell their doctor, and help them find a strength and balance programme.

Something your family can do: Set up a daily check-in call or text, and make sure the person you care about has a phone or alarm within reach at all times.

Questions to ask your care team

• Why do you think I fell?
• Can I have a full falls assessment?
• Should I be checked for a head injury or broken bone?
• Could my medicines be making me dizzy or unsteady?
• Can a physiotherapist teach me how to get up from the floor?
• Would a personal alarm be a good idea for me?

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your health care team about your own situation. In an emergency, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number.

In an emergency, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number.

General information, not medical advice. It does not replace your own care team. If you think you or someone else is having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 (Canada and the US).

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