Falls prevention physiotherapy at home in Croydon

Worried about falls, or finding the hills, the tram and the walk into town harder than they used to be? A Chartered Physiotherapist, registered with the HCPC, visits older adults at home across Croydon, from Thornton Heath and South Norwood to Purley and Coulsdon. We work on strength, balance and stamina to help you carry on with local life: a browse along Surrey Street Market, a concert at Fairfield Halls, or a Sunday walk on Farthing Downs. Every programme starts with a falls risk assessment at home.

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Homes in Croydon

Homes here change a lot from north to south. Thornton Heath, South Norwood and Norbury are mostly Victorian and Edwardian terraces with steep, narrow stairs and a step down into the back yard. Closer to the town centre there are tall Victorian houses on the hills, many now flats spread over three or four floors, as well as tower blocks and newer high rise flats where the lift matters every day. Further out, interwar estates of semis fill Addiscombe, Shirley and Elmers End, Selsdon has its 1920s and 1930s houses, and New Addington and Waddon have large council built estates. In Kenley, Sanderstead and Coulsdon, detached houses often sit on sloping plots with steps up from the road and terraced gardens. Having a physiotherapist who comes to your home means we work with the real layout, not a guess. Every visit starts with how you get around your own home, and we practise the stairs and steps you actually use, including any slope to the front door, at a pace that is safe for you.

Where we visit in Croydon

We offer physiotherapy home visits across the borough, including central Croydon, Addiscombe, Shirley, Selsdon, Sanderstead, Purley, Kenley, Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon, Waddon, Thornton Heath, Norbury, South Norwood, Upper Norwood, New Addington and Forestdale. That covers postcodes CR0, CR2, CR5, CR7, CR8 and SE25, and parts of SE19 and SW16. There is no travel charge anywhere in London.

Coming home from hospital

Most Croydon residents are treated at Croydon University Hospital in Thornton Heath, run by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, with some outpatient care at Purley War Memorial Hospital, 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

The borough is hillier than many people expect. Upper Norwood sits high on the ridge, Sanderstead is on high ground, and the roads up from Purley and Coulsdon can be long and steep, so walking uphill and, just as often, coming back down safely are common goals. Green spaces range from Lloyd Park and Park Hill near the centre to Wandle Park in Waddon, South Norwood Country Park and its lake, Norwood Grove, the Addington Hills by Shirley, Selsdon Wood, and the chalk downland of Farthing Downs and Happy Valley near Coulsdon. In town there is the historic Surrey Street Market, the shops on North End and in the Whitgift Centre, Fairfield Halls and the Croydon Clocktower. New Addington, Purley, South Norwood, Thornton Heath and Waddon all have leisure centres. There is no Underground, but this is the home of London's trams, with lines running through the centre to Wimbledon, New Addington and Beckenham, alongside trains from East Croydon, West Croydon, Norwood Junction, Thornton Heath, Purley and Coulsdon, and plenty of buses on main roads such as the A23. We practise getting on and off the tram, crossing busy junctions and handling slopes, step by step, on the routes you actually use, to help you feel more 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: the hill home from the shops. Starting point: someone in Sanderstead who manages the walk down to the local shops but has started taking a taxi back because the hill home leaves them breathless and shaky. What we work on: leg strength, stamina, pacing and safe rest points on the way up. The goal: walking home with the shopping again.

Example: the tram into town. Starting point: someone in New Addington who had a knee replacement and used to take the tram into the town centre, but now worries about stepping on and standing as it pulls away. What we work on: knee strength and bend, standing balance while holding on, and the walk to the tram stop. The goal: regular tram trips into town.

Example: Surrey Street on a Saturday. Starting point: someone who has become unsteady on their feet and finds the crowds and uneven ground around the market stalls unsettling. What we work on: walking in busy spaces, turning, stopping and dodging, and carrying a bag on one side. The goal: the weekly trip to the market.

Example: a walk on Farthing Downs. Starting point: someone who came home after a broken hip and misses the open walks on the downs near Coulsdon, with their grass slopes and chalky paths. What we work on: balance on uneven ground, walking up and down gentle slopes, and building distance in stages. The goal: a short walk on the downs, then a longer one.

Other areas we visit

We also visit older adults at home in nearby Bromley, Lambeth, Southwark, Sutton and Merton, and across the rest of London, with no travel charge.