Falls prevention physiotherapy at home in Barking and Dagenham

Worried about falls, or finding the walk to the shops, the bus stop or the station harder than it used to be? A Chartered Physiotherapist, registered with the HCPC, visits older adults at home across Barking and Dagenham, from Barking and Thames View to Becontree and Chadwell Heath. We work on strength, balance and stamina to help you keep up the things that make your week: a morning at Barking Market, a walk in Valence Park or Parsloes Park, the garden, or a trip on the District line to see family. Every programme starts with a falls risk assessment at home.

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Homes in Barking and Dagenham

A great many homes in Barking and Dagenham are on the Becontree estate, built by the London County Council between the wars as a cottage estate of houses with front and back gardens. Around Barking town centre there are council estates such as the Gascoigne, where older tower blocks have come down and new homes are going up, and down by the Thames there are newer blocks of flats at Barking Riverside. In a house, that usually means a staircase to the bedroom and bathroom, a step at the front door, and a path or step down into the back garden. In a flat, it means lifts, communal stairs and heavy entrance doors. Having a physiotherapist who comes to your home means we can see all of this for real. Every visit starts with how you get around your own home, and we practise the stairs, steps and garden paths you actually use, at a pace that is safe for you.

Where we visit in Barking and Dagenham

We offer physiotherapy home visits across the borough, including Barking, Upney, Thames View, Barking Riverside, Creekmouth, Castle Green, Becontree, Becontree Heath, Dagenham, Rush Green, Chadwell Heath, Marks Gate and Beam Park. That covers postcodes IG11, RM8, RM9 and RM10, and parts of RM6 and E6. There is no travel charge anywhere in London.

Coming home from hospital

Many people in Barking and Dagenham are treated at Queen's Hospital in Romford or King George Hospital in Goodmayes, and are then supported by NHS community teams. SteadyMotion is an independent private service, separate from the NHS, so we can work alongside your NHS care, while you wait for it, or after it ends. After a fall, a broken hip, or a hip or knee replacement, we work on your walking aid, strength, balance and the stairs at home. Read more in our guide to home physiotherapy for older adults.

Getting out and about again

For many people in Barking and Dagenham the aim is getting back to local life: browsing the stalls of Barking Market on East Street, a visit to the library at Barking Learning Centre or Dagenham Learning Centre, a swim or a class at Abbey Leisure Centre or Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, or an afternoon at Valence House Museum and the old manor house at Eastbury. Some want to walk again in Mayesbrook Park, around Eastbrookend Country Park and The Chase nature reserve, or past the ruins of Barking Abbey. Getting around Barking and Dagenham often means the District line from Upney, Becontree, Dagenham Heathway or Dagenham East, the Elizabeth line from Chadwell Heath, the Overground to Barking Riverside, or a bus along busy roads near the A13. Station stairs, platform gaps, high bus steps and wide crossings are all part of the plan. We practise the walk to the stop or the station, and the journey itself, step by step, on the routes you actually use, to help you feel steady and confident out of the house.

What a programme can look like

These are examples, not real clients. Every programme is planned around the person and what they want to get back to.

Example: back to Barking Market. Starting point: someone who did a weekly shop at Barking Market but stopped after a fall, because standing at the stalls and carrying bags home felt too risky. What we work on: leg strength, standing balance, walking with a shopping trolley, and stepping up and down kerbs, then practising the walk to East Street together. The goal: the weekly market trip again.

Example: the stairs in a Becontree house. Starting point: someone home after a hip replacement, whose bedroom and only toilet are upstairs. What we work on: climbing and coming down the stairs with the handrail, using the walking aid safely around the house, getting in and out of bed and a chair, and the step at the front door. The goal: moving around the whole house safely, upstairs and down.

Example: back in the garden. Starting point: someone who loves their back garden but has kept off it since a wobble on the step down to the lawn. What we work on: the garden step, balance on grass and uneven paving, bending down to pots and borders, and getting up safely from kneeling. The goal: looking after the garden through the seasons again.

Example: the District line to see friends. Starting point: someone who felt unsteady on the station stairs at Dagenham Heathway and stopped visiting a friend in Barking. What we work on: stamina for the walk to the station, stair practice, standing balance on a moving train, and planning rests on the way. The goal: regular visits to friends by tube again.

Other areas we visit

We also visit older adults at home in nearby Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Bexley and Greenwich, and across the rest of London, with no travel charge.

Questions about home visits in Barking and Dagenham

Yes. We practise on your own staircase, looking at the handrail, your footwear and how you carry things up and down, and build the leg strength and balance that stairs need.
Yes. We build up the strength and stamina for the walk and for standing at the stalls, practise kerbs and crossings, and walk the route with you when you are ready.
Yes, once you are well enough to exercise at home. We are private and separate from the NHS, so we can see you alongside any NHS care.
Yes. Most people we see are over 65. Family members can book the free call on their behalf.
The same as anywhere in London, with no travel charge. Current prices are on our Home Visits page.

Talk it through first

A free 15 minute phone call with our physiotherapist, at a time that suits you, to talk through what is happening and whether a home visit is right. No obligation to book a visit.

Family members and carers are welcome to book on someone’s behalf.