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In this article, we examine factors contributing to decision-making in regards to participation and adherence to exercise to reduce falls by older people with recent falls history. Nineteen participants (9 Australian-born and 10 Italian-born; median age 78 years) who had ≥1 fall in the past 12 months and completed a community based physiotherapy program were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. The findings show that family, client-clinician relationship and personal experience affected decision-making and exercise participation. The findings revealed that a number of factors influenced older people's decision and uptake of falls prevention exercise, including personal goals, recommendations from health care providers, and life experiences. There were some differences between the Italian-born and the Australian-born participants, including that most Australian-born participants adhere to exercise programs in order to avoid requiring nursing home care, whereas Italian-born individuals did not wish to be dependent on their children. An understanding of personal motivating and de-motivating factors for exercise for falls prevention are important for health and social care professionals to consider in engaging some groups of older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exercise programmes are effective in reducing falls but few older people consider doing an exercise programme for falls prevention. This paper examines older people's perceptions and experiences of falls, physiotherapy and exercise. Individual interviews were conducted with Australian-born and Italian-born older persons who had ≥1 fall in the past 12 months and completed a community-based physiotherapy programme. Although preventing further falls was considered important, participants were unsure whether falls were preventable. Few described evidence-based approaches such as exercise or medication reviews as strategies to prevent falls. Most participants thought that physiotherapy and exercise were beneficial in improving physical function. A clear explanation on the role of exercise for falls prevention, that many falls are preventable, and understanding of personal motivating and de-motivating factors for exercise for falls prevention are important for clinicians to consider in engaging this group of older people.