Printable medication list
The list every hospital, pharmacist and paramedic asks for first. Fill it once, keep it current, print a copy for the fridge and one for the wallet.
Fall log
Two stumbles in a fortnight is what usually comes before the fall that breaks a hip. Write both down.
Log the near-misses
A fall log that only records falls misses the useful part. A stumble that did not end on the floor — catching the door frame, grabbing the walker, sitting down hard — is the same event without the injury, and it is the pattern that gets a physiotherapy referral or a medication review. Record those rows too.
What makes a row useful
- Where — bathroom, stairs, garden path, getting out of bed at night.
- What happened — tripped, dizzy, legs gave way, missed the step, slid off the chair.
- Time of day and last medication — a fall an hour after a blood pressure tablet means something different from one at 3 a.m.
- What changed afterwards — grab rail fitted, rug removed, night light added, medication reviewed. This column is the proof that you acted.
If there was an injury
Record it here, but treat a head injury — particularly on blood thinners — as a same-day medical matter, not a diary entry.
Questions
Should a fall log include near-misses?
Yes. Near-misses are the earliest and most useful signal, and they are what turns 'she is a bit unsteady' into a referral.
What details matter most?
Where it happened, what the person was doing, the time of day, the last medication, whether there was an injury, and what you changed afterwards.
Is this a clinical assessment tool?
No. It records events. Assessment and prevention plans belong to a clinician or physiotherapist.
Basis & sources
Primary sources only — the statute, form or paper this page is built on.
- Shimbo D, et al. Circulation. 2020;142:e42-e63 — 2 readings >=1 min apart, AM+PM, 7 days (min 3)
- Hypertension Canada 2024 Blood Pressure Log — BP log fields: target, arm, reading #1/#2, 7-day average
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — MAR header: name, DOB, allergies
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — dose, route, frequency required
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — PRN reason and result
- California DDS MAR tip sheet — refusal reason
- 42 CFR 482.43 — discharge planning CoP