Innovating Falls Prevention Through Professional Volunteering: A Pathway to Active and Healthy Ageing

Introduction: Falls are a leading cause of injury, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life among older adults. While health professionals play a central role in falls prevention through clinical practice, their contribution through professional volunteering remains underexplored. Volunteering offers dual benefits: it enhances community access to falls‑prevention initiatives and supports volunteers’ own physical, social, and cognitive wellbeing—key determinants of healthy ageing. This study synthesises evidence on health professionals’ volunteering and examines its potential as an innovative model for community‑based falls prevention.

Method: A scoping review of six databases (2010–2023) identified studies reporting health professionals’ volunteering activities. Data were extracted on study characteristics, volunteer roles, and reported outcomes. Complementing this, a national survey of Australian physiotherapists (n=520) explored current volunteering patterns, motivations, and interest in future roles related to physical activity and falls prevention.

Results: Across 144 studies, health professionals volunteered in diverse settings, with doctors (51%) and nurses (28%) most represented. Activities were predominantly service provision and training (62.5%), with limited documentation of health promotion or falls‑prevention initiatives. Volunteering consistently produced positive outcomes for both volunteers and recipients, including enhanced wellbeing, social connection, and professional growth. In the national survey, 50% of physiotherapists reported current volunteering, and 94% expressed interest in future roles—particularly in physical activity promotion, ageing populations, and community health programs. Volunteers identified altruism, community responsibility, and meaningful engagement as key motivators, with strong potential to contribute to falls‑prevention initiatives.

Conclusion(s): Health professionals’ volunteering represents an underutilised yet promising avenue for community‑based falls prevention. Their expertise in physical activity, mobility, and ageing positions them ideally to lead and deliver falls‑prevention programs. Structured volunteering pathways could expand community capacity, improve access to preventative interventions, and support healthy ageing for both older adults and the volunteers themselves. Integrating professional volunteering into falls‑prevention strategies offers a sustainable, scalable model to reduce falls risk and strengthen community resilience.