Every year on 8th September, the global physiotherapy community comes together to celebrate World Physiotherapy Day. First established in 1996, this day is an opportunity to recognise the work physiotherapists do and the impact they have on people’s health and wellbeing across the world. Each year carries a different theme, and this year’s focus is particularly close to our hearts: Healthy Ageing! 

This World Physiotherapy Day, we’re celebrating the role physiotherapists play in helping people stay strong, steady, and independent. Healthy ageing is something we can all work towards, and with the right support, it’s possible to maintain vitality and independence well into later years.

At Move for Better Health, healthy ageing is something we talk about often – whether it’s through our professional development sessions on falls prevention, our annual conference discussions, or the day-to-day conversations we have with clients. 

But what does healthy ageing really mean in everyday life? At its core, it’s about maintaining the strength, mobility, and confidence to keep doing the things that matter most to you. Whether that’s walking with friends, playing with grandchildren, travelling, or enjoying your favourite hobbies. For us, healthy ageing means more than just living longer; it’s about living well, staying active, and remaining independent for as long as possible. A physiotherapist can provide you with advice and education on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle for any age and provide treatments and exercise plans that adapt to your changing needs! 

Healthy ageing isn’t about avoiding all challenges, but about building resilience so that when obstacles arise, like balance difficulties or health changes, you’re better prepared to manage them. This is where falls prevention becomes so important, as staying steady on your feet is a key part of staying active and independent.

Why Falls Prevention Matters

Did you know that one in three people over the age of 65 experiences a fall every year? While slips and stumbles can happen at any age, falls in older adults often have more serious consequences. In recent years, 60% of all falls-related hospitalisations were among people aged 65 and older, with women accounting for more than half of these admissions.

Beyond the statistics, a fall can knock someone’s confidence and lead to reduced independence, limiting day-to-day activities and social participation. The good news? Many falls are preventable. With the right advice, exercises, and strategies, older adults can stay strong, steady, and active well into later life.

How Physiotherapy Supports Healthy Ageing

Physiotherapists play a key role in promoting healthy ageing generally and reducing falls risk. At Move for Better Health, we focus on a whole-person approach, tailoring care to each individual’s needs. Some of the ways physiotherapy helps include:

• Personalised Assessments: Identifying balance, strength, and mobility challenges before they lead to falls. We use evidence-based screening tools to assess balance, walking patterns (gait), strength, flexibility, and reaction time. We can also check posture, joint mobility, and bone health to identify issues early and put strategies in place before they become bigger problems.
• Targeted Exercise Programs: Our physiotherapists design exercise plans that are progressive and safe, often starting with simple movements and building up to more challenging activities. This may include resistance training for muscle and bone health, balance retraining, flexibility exercises, and functional tasks like sit-to-stand practice to support daily activities.
• Education & Confidence Building: Many older adults become fearful of falling, which can actually increase risk by reducing activity levels. We provide practical education on safe movement strategies, tips for navigating tricky environments (like stairs, uneven surfaces, or getting up from the floor), and guidance on modifications to assist you. 
• Multi-disciplinary Care: Healthy ageing is best achieved with a team approach. Our physiotherapists work closely with podiatrists to improve foot health and footwear, exercise physiologists to build tailored long-term fitness programs, psychologists to support mental wellbeing, and GPs or specialists when medical input is required.

This team-based approach ensures no aspect of someone’s health is overlooked, and that we can address challenges from multiple angles to help you remain active, independent, and confident for longer.

Practical Tips to Healthy Ageing 

Here are some practical, everyday steps that can make a big difference with healthy ageing and falls prevention:

1. Start strength and balance exercises now. Even small improvements can reduce your risk of falling. A trained exercise professional like an exercise physiologist, exercise scientist or physiotherapist can assist you with this! Stay physically active! Activities keep both body and mind engaged! Activities could include walking, gardening, resistance training, or group exercise classes, like we run at Move for Better Health with our Physio Exercise Classes and Exercise Physiology gym classes.
2. Check your footwear and foot health. Supportive shoes and healthy feet are key to good balance. Our colleagues at AC Podiatry work closely with our physios and exercise physiologists to make sure clients are supported from the ground up.
3. Book regular vision and hearing checks because sensory health plays a big role in balance.
4. Make your home safer. Ensuring clear pathways, good lighting and adding handrails in areas like bathrooms or stairs can help if needed.
   

Programs and Support at Move for Better Health

At Move for Better Health, we offer a range of programs designed to support healthy ageing and falls prevention.

• Falls Prevention Programs: Physiotherapists and exercise physiologists can design individualised exercise plans that challenge balance, build strength, and support mobility which can be completed 1:1 with your practitioner or within a class setting. 
• Osteofit Programs: These programs are designed for people with low bone density or osteoporosis. They focus on maintaining bone health, reducing falls risk, and improving overall strength and can be completed within any Physio Exercise Class. 
• Individual Sessions: For those who prefer one-on-one support, our physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, and exercise scientists can develop personalised exercise and rehabilitation plans tailored to specific needs and goals.
• Fitness Forecaster Assessments: To help you stay fit and active for as long as possible, iNform Health & Fitness Solutions have created a Fitness Forecaster program. iNform is a team of Exercise Physiologists & Exercise Scientists who are part of Move for Better Health’s multidisciplinary team that operate from our Malvern clinic and their own standalone Norwood clinic. The Fitness Forecaster program benchmarks your current strength and fitness levels, and helps you understand how well prepared you are for the physical requirements of your future decades. This allows you to understand the strength and fitness trajectory you’re on, whether that lines up with the goals you’ve set for yourself, and if not, what you need to do differently. 

Each of these services is designed to help people not just reduce falls risk, but also improve overall quality of life so you can keep doing the activities you love, whether that’s playing with grandchildren, travelling, or gardening! 

Need help?

If you need help from our team, you can get in touch using the options below:

• Phone at Malvern (08) 8373 5655, Magill (08) 7078 0303 or Glenelg (08) 8295 1294 
• Book online (available 24/7) to choose your appointment time
• Drop in to see us in person
• Email us on info@moveforbetterhealth.com.au