The aim of this article is to share the experience of the authors in implementing a programme to prevent falls in older people, within the context of vestibular rehabilitation. Around one-third of people aged over 65 suffer falls each year, and the resulting injuries are often fatal.

Falls therefore pose a real threat to the ability to live independently and constitute a serious public health problem, the socio-economic burden of which has risen in line with the growth of the elderly population.

These facts justify intervention in this area. The Fall Prevention Programme followed by the AA aims to promote patients’ safety, autonomy and independence by reducing or minimising the risk of falls, through advice on changes to be made to their environment (for many older people, the home can be a dangerous place), to develop appropriate and effective balance strategies, to increase stability, to reduce the fear of falling and to encourage activity in their daily lives.

To ensure these objectives are met, specific exercises of increasing difficulty are carried out, with a view to maintaining or improving the patient’s independence and safety and, consequently, achieving a better quality of life.