Lifestyle

Three Quick Tests Can Show Your Fall Risk After 65. What They Involve and When to Ask About Them

By Mike Harper · November 9, 2026

Standing up from a chair. Walking a few steps and sitting back down. Holding your balance with one foot in front of the other. Timed and counted in a clinic, these ordinary movements help providers judge how likely an older adult is to fall.

The stakes are high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says falls among adults 65 and older caused more than 43,000 deaths in 2024, making falls the leading cause of injury death in that age group. Emergency departments recorded about 4.5 million visits for older adult falls that year, according to the CDC’s older adult fall prevention page. The agency also says falls can be prevented.

MedlinePlus, the consumer health service of the National Library of Medicine, says about a third of older adults who live at home fall at least once a year. Its page on the fall risk assessment says the CDC and the American Geriatrics Society recommend a yearly fall screening for all adults 65 and older.

The screening usually starts with questions. Have you fallen in the past year? Do you feel unsteady when standing or walking? Are you worried about falling? If the answers point to a risk, MedlinePlus says, the next step is an assessment that tests strength, balance and the way you walk. Many providers use a CDC approach called STEADI, short for Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries.

These are the three tests MedlinePlus describes.

The Timed Up and Go. You start in a chair, stand up, walk about 10 feet at your regular pace, turn and sit back down. The provider times you. MedlinePlus says taking 12 seconds or more may mean a higher risk of falling.

The 30-Second Chair Stand. You sit with your arms crossed over your chest and stand up and sit down as many times as you can in 30 seconds. A lower count may mean a higher risk. The number that signals risk depends on your age.

The 4-Stage Balance Test. You hold four positions for 10 seconds each: feet side by side, one foot halfway forward so the instep touches the other big toe, one foot directly in front of the other heel to toe, and then standing on one foot. MedlinePlus says not being able to hold the second or third position for 10 seconds, or to stand on one leg for 5 seconds, may mean a higher risk.

MedlinePlus notes a small risk of falling during the tests, so they are done with a provider. A provider may also review your medicines, check blood pressure lying down and standing, test your vision, and look at your feet and shoes.

The results can lead to concrete steps. MedlinePlus lists exercises for strength and balance or a referral to a physical therapist, changes to medicines that cause dizziness or drowsiness, vitamin D, an eye exam, safer footwear, and fixing poor lighting, loose rugs and cords on the floor.

You do not have to wait to be asked. If you are 65 or older, you can bring it up at your next checkup: ask whether you have had a fall risk screening this year, and whether it would make sense to do the chair stand, balance or Timed Up and Go test. Be ready to mention any fall, near fall, dizziness or new unsteadiness, even if you were not hurt. MedlinePlus lists dizziness, an irregular or rapid heartbeat, and blood pressure that drops too much when you stand as symptoms that may mean a higher risk.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk with your doctor or health care provider about your risk of falling. This article was produced with the assistance of AI and fact-checked against the sources cited by LightWave Reports.