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7 Balance Exercises for Seniors to Improve Stability and Reduce Falls Risk
INS LifeGuard • August 21, 2026
Maintaining good balance becomes increasingly important as we age. Changes in muscle strength, mobility, vision, medications and some health conditions can all affect stability, making everyday activities such as walking, using stairs or getting out of a chair more challenging.
The good news is that balance exercises for seniors and older adults can help maintain strength, coordination and confidence.
Many simple balance exercises can be performed at home using little or no equipment. The key is choosing exercises appropriate for your ability and performing them safely and consistently.
Improving balance is one part of supporting safety and independence as we age. For people concerned about falling, a broader approach may also include addressing individual falls risks and considering additional safety measures. Personal alarm devices and fall alarms and sensors can provide an additional way to access assistance if a fall or other emergency occurs.
Below are seven exercises that can form part of balance training for older adults, along with practical ways to reduce the risk of falls.
Important:
Everyone's mobility and health are different. If you have an existing medical condition, have experienced a recent fall, feel unsteady on your feet or are unsure whether these exercises are appropriate for you, speak with your GP, physiotherapist or another qualified healthcare professional before starting.
Why Is Balance Exercise Important for Seniors?
Balance isn't controlled by one part of the body alone. Maintaining stability involves coordination between your muscles, joints, vision, inner ear, nervous system and brain.
Age-related changes in muscle strength and mobility can make balance harder to maintain. Health conditions, medications, and changes in eyesight can also increase your risk of falling.
Regular strength and balance exercises for seniors can help people maintain the physical capabilities needed for everyday activities, from walking around the home to shopping, gardening and participating in the community.
The goal isn't simply to exercise more. It's to help people continue doing the ordinary things that matter to them with greater confidence and independence.
What Are the Benefits of Balance Exercises for Older Adults?
A well-designed balance and strength program may help older adults:
- improve balance and stability
- maintain lower-body strength
- improve coordination
- support mobility and independence
- maintain confidence when walking and moving
- improve posture and body awareness
- make everyday activities easier
- reduce falls risk when incorporated into an appropriate falls-prevention program.
Balance difficulties can have many causes. Vision problems, inner-ear conditions, neurological conditions, previous injuries, some medications and other health conditions may all affect stability.
If your balance has changed noticeably or you have started falling or stumbling more frequently, don't assume it is simply part of getting older. Discuss the change with an appropriate healthcare professional.
7 Simple Balance Exercises for Seniors
These balance exercises for older adults range from relatively simple movements to more challenging single-leg activities.
Always exercise near a stable support, such as a wall, kitchen bench, or sturdy chair, if you need one. Don't perform an exercise without support simply because the instructions show it that way.
1. Single-Leg Stance
A single-leg stance is a simple exercise that challenges your ability to maintain stability while standing on one foot.
How to do it:
- Stand upright with your feet approximately hip-width apart.
- Stand beside a sturdy chair, bench, or wall for support if needed.
- Slowly shift your weight onto one leg.
- Lift the opposite foot slightly from the floor.
- Hold the position for as long as is comfortable while maintaining good posture.
- Lower your foot and repeat on the other side.
As your balance improves, you may gradually increase the hold time, as long as you can do so safely.
2. Flamingo Pose
The flamingo pose is another single-leg balance exercise. Because it requires greater stability and concentration, beginners should perform it beside a sturdy support.
How to do it:
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Hold a stable chair or bench if required.
- Shift your weight onto your right leg.
- Slowly bend your left knee and lift your foot.
- Hold briefly while staying upright.
- Lower your foot carefully.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Don't worry about how high you can lift your leg. Maintaining a controlled, stable position matters more.
3. Tree Pose
Tree pose is commonly used in yoga, and challenges balance while engaging muscles through the legs, hips and core.
How to do it:
- Stand beside a stable support.
- Shift your weight onto one leg.
- Place the toes or sole of your opposite foot against the inside of your standing leg at a comfortable height.
- Avoid placing pressure directly against the knee joint.
- Keep your posture upright and look at a fixed point in front of you.
- Hold for a comfortable period.
- Return your foot to the floor and repeat on the opposite side.
Use the wall or chair whenever necessary.
4. Heel-to-toe Walk
The heel-to-toe walk challenges dynamic balance, or your ability to stay stable while moving.
How to do it:
- Stand upright near a wall or bench.
- Place one foot directly in front of the other.
- Bring the heel of your front foot towards the toes of your back foot.
- Take another controlled step forward with the opposite foot.
- Continue slowly for several steps.
- Turn carefully and repeat if comfortable.
Start with only a few steps if necessary. Quality and control are more important than distance.
5. Calf Raises
Strong calf muscles support walking, standing, and controlling movement through the ankle.
How to do it:
- Stand behind a sturdy chair or in front of a bench.
- Place your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your body upright.
- Slowly raise both heels from the floor.
- Pause briefly at the top.
- Lower your heels slowly and with control.
- Begin with a small number of repetitions and build gradually as appropriate.
6. Side Leg Raises
Side leg raises work muscles around the hips that help stabilise the body during standing and walking.
How to do it:
- Stand behind a sturdy chair or bench and hold it for support.
- Keep your body upright.
- Shift your weight onto one leg.
- Slowly lift the opposite leg out to the side without leaning your torso.
- Pause briefly.
- Lower the leg with control.
- Repeat before changing sides.
Keep the movement small if necessary. The goal is controlled movement, not lifting the leg as high as possible.
7. Standing Leg Circles
Standing leg circles add movement while you balance on the opposite leg, making them a more challenging balance exercise for seniors.
How to do it:
- Stand beside a sturdy chair or bench.
- Shift your weight onto one leg.
- Lift the opposite foot slightly from the floor.
- Make a small, slow circle with the lifted leg.
- Reverse the direction.
- Return your foot to the floor.
- Repeat on the other side.
Keep the circles small and controlled. Stop if you feel unstable, dizzy or uncomfortable.
7 Simple Balance Exercises To Enhance Strength, Coordination, and Mobility
This proactive approach not only reduces the risk of falls and injuries but also fosters active, independent living.
How Often Should Older Adults Do Balance Exercises?
Regular practice is important when it comes to improving balance. For older adults and people at increased risk of falls, structured balance training several times a week may be beneficial.
Physiopedia's guide to balance training discusses balance training three or more days per week, with programs tailored to the individual's abilities and falls risk.
The appropriate frequency and intensity will depend on your current health, mobility and falls risk. If you have experienced falls or have significant balance difficulties, a physiotherapist or other qualified healthcare professional can help develop a program suited to your individual needs.
Balance training should challenge your balance without putting you in an unsafe situation.
Balance Exercises Are Only One Part of Falls Prevention
Improving strength and balance can help reduce falls risk, but falls rarely have only one cause.
A broader falls-prevention approach may also include:
- having medications reviewed
- arranging regular eyesight and hearing checks
- wearing suitable footwear
- improving lighting around the home
- removing trip and slip hazards
- installing rails or other supports where appropriate
- managing health conditions that affect mobility or balance
- remaining physically active within your abilities.
Read our guide: Falls Prevention in Aged Care →
What If You're Worried About Exercising or Falling When Alone?
Falls prevention is about reducing risk, but it is also important to consider what happens if a fall or medical event does occur.
A monitored personal alarm can provide an additional layer of safety for an older person who lives alone, exercises independently or wants greater confidence moving around their home and community.
Depending on the solution, personal safety technology can provide features such as an emergency help button, automatic fall detection, two-way communication and GPS location support.
INS LifeGuard's monitored personal alarms provide 24/7 access to qualified nurses and other healthcare professionals who can assess the situation and coordinate appropriate assistance when needed.
The technology provides the connection. What matters is having the right people there when you need help.
Explore INS LifeGuard Personal Alarms →
Smartwatch Technology and Gait Monitoring
Wearable technology is also creating opportunities to look beyond responding to falls and towards identifying changes that may indicate increasing falls risk.
With INS LifeGuardian® Premium and compatible Apple Watch technology, gait and steadiness monitoring can provide information about changes in movement and walking patterns over time.
This information can contribute to a broader picture of how someone is moving and may help identify changes that warrant further attention.
It doesn't mean a smartwatch can guarantee it will prevent a fall. Instead, gait and steadiness information can support earlier recognition of changes and, where appropriate, further assessment or intervention.
For INS LifeGuard, this reflects a broader approach to connected care. Technology shouldn't simply wait for an emergency. Where appropriate, it can provide useful information that helps people and their care teams recognise changes earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions About Balance Exercises for Seniors
What Is the Best Balance Exercise for Seniors?
No single balance exercise is best for everyone. Simple exercises such as supported single-leg standing, heel-to-toe walking and calf raises may help develop balance and lower-body strength. Still, the right exercises depend on a person's mobility, health and existing balance.
What Are Some Easy Balance Exercises for Elderly People?
For an older or elderly person new to balance training, supported calf raises, gentle side leg raises, and a supported single-leg stance may be appropriate starting points.
Use a stable chair, bench, or wall when you need extra support.
What Can Affect Balance in Elderly People?
Many factors can affect balance in elderly people, including reduced muscle strength, vision changes, inner-ear problems, some medications, neurological conditions, previous injuries, and reduced physical activity.
Because balance problems can have different causes, discuss new or worsening unsteadiness with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than assuming it is a normal part of ageing.
Can Balance Exercises Help Prevent Falls?
Balance and strength training can form an important part of a broader falls-prevention strategy. However, falls can have multiple causes, so consider exercise alongside factors such as medications, vision, footwear, home hazards, and underlying health conditions.
Can I Do Balance Exercises at Home?
Many balance exercises can be performed at home without specialist equipment. Safety is important, particularly for anyone who already has poor balance or a history of falls.
Exercise near a stable support, and seek professional advice if you're unsure what is appropriate for you.
Should I Exercise If I Have Already Had a Fall?
A previous fall is a good reason to discuss your balance and mobility with a healthcare professional.
Rather than avoiding activity altogether, an appropriately designed exercise or falls-prevention program may help address contributing factors and rebuild confidence.
Supporting Balance, Confidence and Independence
Maintaining balance isn't just about avoiding a fall. It helps people continue walking, exercising, visiting friends, shopping and doing the everyday things that make up an independent life.
Regular balance exercises for seniors and older adults, combined with appropriate healthcare advice and a broader approach to falls prevention, can help support strength, mobility and confidence.
When an additional layer of reassurance is appropriate, connected personal safety technology can help ensure support is accessible when needed.
At INS LifeGuard, we focus on helping people stay healthier, safer, more connected, and more independent, so they can keep living the lives they value.
Explore INS LifeGuard Personal Alarms →
About
INS LifeGuard is the only 24/7 nurse on-call personal and medical monitoring in Australia. We provide monitoring technology for both in the home and on the go and can also monitor other provider's equipment. Our services are suitable for anyone wanting support to stay independent such as the elderly, those with medical conditions and disabilities plus enhancing safety and security for lone workers.
