Learning About Falls Prevention: Right at Home Solent's Care Assistant Focus Group
Published: 09/11/2026
At Right at Home Solent, we know that good homecare starts with understanding the people we support and the challenges they may experience. Giving our Care Assistants opportunities to learn, ask questions and share ideas helps us continue to provide care that puts Clients first.
On 12 October, our Care Assistants came together for a focus group featuring South Coast Home Physiotherapy, a private physiotherapy service that visits people in their own homes. The session explored falls prevention and the ways movement, balance and concentration can affect a person's safety.
Looking Beyond the Obvious Causes
A fall can have a lasting effect on someone's confidence, particularly if they are already experiencing difficulties with mobility. Understanding the situations that may increase the risk of falling is therefore an important part of supporting people to live as independently as possible.
South Coast Home Physiotherapy talked the team through common causes of falls, possible risk factors and practical steps that can help people move around more safely.
The discussion also looked at how the brain and body work together during everyday activities. Sometimes, something as simple as concentrating on a conversation while moving can make it harder to pay attention to balance and surroundings.
A Simple Game with an Important Lesson
The team explored this idea through practical exercise. Working in pairs, they threw and caught a ball while taking turns to name fruits. The activity then became more challenging, with participants having to name fruits in alphabetical order without stopping the game.
The extra thinking made it harder to keep the ball moving. When someone could not immediately think of the next fruit, they often stopped throwing or catching while concentrating on their answer.
This demonstrated how competing tasks can affect attention and coordination. In daily life, a Client might be walking across a room while answering a question, turning around to speak to someone or trying to carry something at the same time.
These moments may seem ordinary, but they can be more difficult for someone whose balance or mobility is affected. The exercise helped our Care Assistants consider how distractions and divided attention can influence a person's safety.
Ali highlighted the importance of bringing the team together:
“Our focus groups create a safe space to share updates, answer questions and raise concerns - while recognising the incredible work our carers do every day. They also help the office team understand what care looks like in real homes, so we can better support carers with what they need to deliver outstanding care.”
– Alison | Office Manager, Right at Home Solent
Taking Knowledge into Everyday Care
South Coast Home Physiotherapy supports people with their mobility, strength, balance and confidence, helping them work towards greater independence in their own homes.
The session gave our team a better appreciation of the different factors that can contribute to falls. It also highlighted the importance of being attentive to each Client's circumstances and understanding when additional support or professional advice may be needed.
Our focus groups are about more than training alone. They provide a welcoming space where Care Assistants can raise concerns, exchange experiences and ask questions. These conversations also help our office team understand what happens in real homes and how we can better support our colleagues in their roles.
Our Care Assistants found the session useful and informative, taking away new insights into the everyday challenges that can affect Clients' safety.
We are thankful to South Coast Home Physiotherapy for leading the session and sharing practical advice with the team.
At Right at Home Solent, we are committed to helping our Care Assistants continue to learn and grow. By investing in their knowledge and listening to their experiences, we can keep working towards care that protects dignity, supports independence and helps Clients feel safe in the place they know best: home.