What to do if an older adult falls down stairs

1. Make sure you can approach safely. Speak to the person and check whether they respond and are breathing normally.
2. Call 911 for a suspected serious injury. Put the phone on speaker if possible. If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally or only gasping, start CPR and use an AED if available, following dispatcher instructions. Do not delay lifesaving care because you fear moving an injured spine.
3. Do not pull them upright. With a possible head, neck or spinal injury, keep them in the position found unless movement is needed for immediate safety or lifesaving care. Let the dispatcher guide you.
4. Stay with them. Keep them comfortably warm and report changes in breathing or responsiveness.

These steps summarize American Red Cross injury guidance and its unresponsive-person guidance. They are not a substitute for dispatcher instructions or first-aid training.

Call 911 if they are unresponsive, even if they appear to be breathing. If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally or only gasping, follow the dispatcher’s CPR/AED instructions immediately.

Severe bleeding, breathing difficulty, severe pain or deformity, or new inability to move or bear weight can indicate serious injury. Do not ask the person to move in order to check.

After a head impact, call 911 for a worsening persistent headache, repeated vomiting, a seizure, new weakness, slurred speech, confusion, unequal pupils, unconsciousness or difficulty waking. Symptoms can appear later. CDC: concussion danger signs.

The NHS head-injury guidance also treats a head injury after falling more than five stairs or one metre as an emergency. Fewer stairs do not establish that someone is safe. The NHS uses UK numbers; this guide uses US 911. Outside the US, call your local emergency number.

An older adult who hits their head in a fall should get medical assessment right away, even if they can talk and initially seem well. This is especially important if they take a blood thinner. Tell the clinician the exact medicine; do not stop or skip it unless instructed. Call 911 for the emergency warning signs above, suspected serious head/neck/back/hip injury, breathing problems, severe bleeding, or if they cannot get up. Do not have the injured person drive themselves or make them walk as a test of whether they are injured.

CDC: older-adult falls and prompt head-injury assessment.

Give the exact address, where the person is, whether they respond and breathe normally, and what you saw. Mention a possible head strike, bleeding, pain and known blood-thinning medicines. Say “I don’t know” rather than guessing whether they lost consciousness.

If another helper is present, ask them to meet responders and make access clear. Do not leave the injured person alone to search for paperwork. These are practical communication prompts, not a clinical checklist.

Being able to talk does not rule out injury. Do not ask them to climb stairs or walk as a test. If there is pain, injury or illness after a fall, seek prompt medical advice. If they cannot get up or may have injured their head, neck, back or hip, use emergency services. NHS: help after a fall.

Once urgent care is addressed, record what happened and arrange follow-up. If discharged after assessment, follow the treating team’s instructions about supervision, activity, medicines and symptoms that mean returning for care. An online article cannot clear someone to stay home.