For Patients and Visitors
What is the Service?
The Falls and Balance Service is for people in the community who have experienced falls. We will work with you to identify the factors that may cause your falls, help to reduce further falls and assist you to feel more confident when moving.
The staff in this clinic are: Geriatrician, Registrar, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Podiatrist.
What can I expect from the service?
The clinic runs at Bundoora campus every Thursday morning.We try to understand potential causes of your falls such as medications, illness, balance or other issues.
A plan will be worked out with you and your carer. A letter summarising the findings and recommendations will be provided to you and to your GP.
What do I bring/need for my appointment?
Please bring a list of current medications.
How much does it cost?
No cost to attend the Falls and Balance Service.
If you are referred onto additional therapy services there may be a fee incurred of $5-10
If client is ineligible for Medicare the referral for the service will need to be reviewed by management.
Contact us
For referrals or enquiries regarding this service please contact the Community Access Service team
Free Call: 1300 128 539
Fax: 8405 8616
For Health Professionals
Service/Clinic overview
Falls and Balance Service (FABS) provides a preventative health outpatient service that is based at Bundoora campus. FABS is a multidisciplinary assessment service for patients presenting with complex presentations and who:
- are at high risk or are falling in the community,
- or have a fear of falling which is impacting negatively on their ability to compete daily activities.
The clinic is staffed by a Geriatrician, Registrar, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapist and Podiatrists.
What can be provided:
The FABS clinic runs at Bundoora campus every Thursday morning. GP and medical specialists are able to refer clients to the clinic to further investigate/diagnose contributing factors for falls.
After the initial assessments a case conference is held where by the clinicians identify intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors contributing to the person’s falls and recommend appropriate management strategies to reduce further falls and significant fear of falling.
As a result of this discussion a recommendations letter is provided to the client and GP.
Inclusion criteria:
- More than one fall in the last 12 months &
- Fear of falling causing significant restriction in activity &/OR
- High risk of falls &/OR
- Severe dizziness resulting in fall(s) or falls risk.
Exclusion criteria:
- Active TAC or work cover clients
- Active or recently discharged with another Falls and Balance Service
- Recent discharge from Subacute service where follow up is arranged within CTS/TCP/HARP (these clients can be internally referred at later stage if identified as appropriate)
- Recent discharge (last 3 months) from CTS Physio/OT.
- Clients aged less than 18 years
- Client who are primarily non-ambulant e.g. using a wheelchair
- Clients who are a permanent resident of a Residential Aged Care Facility
- Clients who have a significant cognitive impairment and would be unable to participate in the assessment process or management of their falls risks
- Client has had recent similar investigation or management of their falls and balance problems in a community program AND has had no significant change in status since that time
- Clients who have known diagnoses which explain falls risk eg previous stroke; alcohol intake.
- Clients experiencing collapse or blackout episodes – refer to General Medicine, Cardiology or Neurology as appropriate
How to Refer:
All referrals must be from GP or Medical Consultant/ Specialist. Referral must include:
- Reason for referral
- Current and past medical history including Psychiatric history
- Information relation to the patient’s condition including falls history
- List of current mediations
- Results of all relevant current investigations including pathology and radiology
For referrals or enquiries regarding this service please contact the Community Access Service team
Free Call: 1300 128 539
Fax: 8405 8616
Alternative service options:
Continence clinic- if issues relate to continence issues
GEM clinic – If client has significant cognitive impairment with diagnosis
Private Rehabilitation
Private specialists such as Geriatrician
Melbourne Health FABS
Austin Health FABS
