Tool · Balance & Falls Care Navigator

Balance & Falls Care Navigator

This educational tool helps adults with dizziness, imbalance, or falls risk understand what type of care might be a good starting point—from emergency evaluation to rehab and self‑management. It does not diagnose any condition or replace medical care.

5–7 minutes

Mobile‑friendly

Adults, caregivers & clinicians

This is educational only. It does not give medical advice, does not diagnose, and is not a substitute for seeing a clinician. If you feel unsafe, very unwell, or worried about stroke, heart problems, serious injury, or self‑harm, treat it as urgent and seek in‑person care or emergency services right away.

Balance check‑in Step‑by‑step

Small changes in balance can matter.
The goal is safer steps, not perfection.

What this tool does:

Spots potential emergency warning signs
Suggests what type of care to ask for
Gives language to use with your clinicians

Questionnaire

Who is this for?

Step 1 of 5

Answer one section at a time. Your responses stay on this device and are for your own use in conversations with your care team.

Who are you filling this out for?

This helps us tailor the language on the suggestion panel.

When did dizziness or balance problems become a concern?

If you’ve had more than one phase, choose what best fits the problem you’re worried about today.

Which description fits the pattern best most of the time?

No single wording will fit perfectly. Choose the one that feels closest to your typical experience.

Possible emergency or urgent warning signs

Some symptoms can signal stroke, serious heart or lung problems, severe infections, head injury, or a mental health crisis. This tool cannot tell how serious your situation is. If any of the items below are happening now or very recently, it is safest to seek urgent, in‑person medical care.

Falls in the past 12 months

A fall means ending up on the ground or a lower surface than you meant to. This is important even if you weren’t badly hurt.

Near‑falls and stumbles

Many people “catch themselves” before hitting the ground. These almost‑falls still matter for risk.

Impact on your daily life

Think about walking, self‑care, home tasks, social life, work, and driving or transportation.

How worried do you feel about falling or your balance?

Emotional strain matters. Fear of falling can be both a symptom and a separate source of distress.

Which of these also apply? (Choose all that fit)

These details help your clinician think through inner ear, neurologic, heart/blood pressure, and medication factors. You can skip anything that doesn’t fit or that you’d rather not share in this tool.

Your suggested starting place

No suggestion yet

As you work through the questions, this panel will show one possible starting place to explore with your care team. If you ever feel unsafe or very unwell at any point, treat that as urgent regardless of what this tool shows.

Because you described intense worry or distress about falling, consider asking for urgent in‑person support and talking with a mental health professional or crisis resource, in addition to the medical steps listed here.

Emergency or urgent evaluation

Based on the symptoms you selected, this tool cannot tell how serious things are. Because some answers fit possible emergency or urgent warning signs, the safest next step is to seek immediate or same‑day in‑person care.

For many people, that means going to the emergency department, calling your local emergency number (for example 911 in the U.S.), or using an urgent care or same‑day clinic if advised by a clinician or nurse line.

Possible stroke or neurologic emergency Heart / breathing / serious infection concerns Head injury or risky fall Mental health crisis

What you might ask or say when you arrive:

“I’ve had sudden dizziness and balance changes. Can you check for stroke or other emergencies?”
“Can we check my heart rhythm, blood pressure, and oxygen level while these symptoms are happening?”
“Are there signs of head or neck injury that need imaging?”
“If this turns out not to be an emergency, what follow‑up should I arrange for hearing, vestibular, and balance testing?”

Important: Do not drive yourself if you might pass out, are very dizzy, or cannot walk steadily. If there is any concern about self‑harm, reach out to a crisis line, emergency services, or trusted person right away.

Prompt medical & vestibular workup (days to a couple of weeks)

Your answers suggest that symptoms are meaningful and affecting life, but you did not select clear emergency warning signs. A reasonable next step is a prompt medical visit (“soon” rather than “someday”).

You might start with:

Primary care / internal medicine or family medicine clinician
Geriatrics (for older adults with multiple conditions or falls)
Ear, nose and throat (ENT) / otology and audiology with vestibular testing
Neurology, especially if there are other neurologic conditions or unusual patterns

Questions you might bring to that visit:

“Could I benefit from vestibular and hearing testing to look at inner ear function?”
“Can we review my medications to see if any increase dizziness or falls risk?”
“Given my falls or near‑falls, should I be referred to vestibular or balance‑focused physical therapy?”
“Are there heart, blood pressure, neurologic, or vision issues that might be contributing to my balance problems that we should evaluate?”

Alongside medical workup, many people will benefit from early referral to vestibular or balance PT instead of waiting for every test to be finished.

Balance & vestibular rehabilitation focus

Your answers sound consistent with a vestibular and balance rehabilitation focus. This means working with a physical therapist (and often an occupational therapist) who has training in dizziness and falls.

People in this group often describe:

Ongoing imbalance, motion sensitivity, or positional vertigo
Falls or near‑falls, or having to give up activities because of imbalance
Symptoms that are bothersome but not obviously an emergency right now

Clinicians who are often involved:

Vestibular/balance physical therapist for gait, strength, and inner‑ear‑related retraining exercises
Occupational therapist for daily‑task strategies, home safety, and energy management
Primary care / ENT / neurology for diagnosis, medication review, and managing medical contributors

Questions you might bring to your clinician or therapist:

“Can I be referred to a vestibular or balance‑focused physical therapist?”
“Are there specific exercises or maneuvers (for example for positional vertigo) that might help me?”
“What home safety changes would you recommend based on my falls or near‑falls?”

Many people benefit from a combination of strength, balance, gaze‑stabilization, and walking practice, along with a careful plan to increase activities safely over time.

Falls‑prevention & monitoring focus

Your answers suggest ongoing balance changes or early falls risk that deserve attention, even if symptoms feel more “nagging” than dramatic. The focus here is on staying independent and preventing future falls.

Helpful next steps often include:

A visit with primary care or geriatrics to review falls history, medications, blood pressure, vision, and medical conditions
Referral to balance‑focused physical therapy or a multidisciplinary falls clinic (often involving PT, OT, pharmacy, and medical providers)
Exercise and activity programs that include strength, balance, and walking (for example, tai chi, evidence‑based falls classes, or supervised programs)
Home safety review: lighting, footwear, bathroom safety, removing trip hazards

Questions you might ask:

“Based on my history, would a falls clinic or balance PT evaluation be appropriate?”
“Can we go over my medications and see if any increase falls or dizziness risk?”
“Is there a community exercise or falls‑prevention program you recommend for someone like me?”

Even if you feel “just a little unsteady,” early action can prevent injuries and support staying active and independent longer.

Education, self‑management & watchful waiting

Your answers suggest mild symptoms with limited day‑to‑day impact and no obvious emergency warning signs. It is still worth mentioning these symptoms at your next routine medical visit, but an immediate urgent visit may not be necessary unless things change.

Things that often help at this level:

Routine primary care visit to document the symptoms, check orthostatic blood pressure, and review medications
Regular physical activity that includes strength, balance, and walking (as safe for your situation), possibly with guidance from a PT
Paying attention to triggers (for example rapid position changes, dehydration, skipped meals, certain medicines) and writing down patterns in a symptom diary
Considering a falls‑prevention class or balance‑oriented exercise program if you are older or starting to feel more cautious

Questions to bring to your clinician:

“Could any of my medications be increasing dizziness or falls risk?”
“Should I have hearing or vestibular testing now, or only if things progress?”
“Are there simple home balance or strength exercises that would be safe for me?”

If symptoms get stronger, more frequent, or start causing falls, near‑falls, or new neurologic symptoms, treat that as a reason to escalate sooner to medical evaluation and possibly vestibular or balance‑focused PT.

This navigator is written for adults living with dizziness or balance changes. Caregivers, family members, and clinicians can use it as a shared tool to structure conversations and plan next steps.

Build a balance & falls care team

Safer walking and fewer falls usually come from a team approach: primary care or geriatrics, audiology and vestibular testing, ENT or neurology when needed, plus physical and occupational therapy, vision care, and mental health support.

Explore balance & falls clinics Find vestibular & balance PT Find local balance resources

Keep notes from this navigator (or print/save this page) and bring them to your appointments. They can make it easier to explain what you’re experiencing and what matters most to you.