Falls Prevention Information

Falls are the most common cause of accidental death in older people, causing approximately 36,000 serious injuries each year, at a staggering cost of £981 million. Unfortunately, 20% of people who break their hip will also die in the first year after their fracture. In addition to the high financial cost of falls and the danger of death they can entail, they can also cause a great deal of distress to individuals and their families, and can lead to older people losing the ability to live independently.
 
However, falls are not an inevitable part of getting old and it is a problem that can largely be avoided with awareness raising, information giving and appropriate interventions to improve mobility, home safety etc. Key areas of work currently being undertaken in the city are:

• training of health, social care and voluntary agency staff to enable them to identify those at risk of falling and refer onto appropriate agencies
• awareness raising amongst older persons to encourage them to take measures to reduce their risk of falling
• training for care staff to enable them to deliver exercise sessions to older people living in care settings to build and maintain strength and mobility
• encouraging the development of opportunities for activity within the community, eg. Tai Chi, both to encourage physical activity and reduce social isolation
• publicising and promoting the agencies that can assist those at risk of falling eg. Podiatry, Voluntary agencies, Community Alarms, and grants for installing central heating

For further information please contact Nicky Ansell Falls Community Development Worker on : 02392 688 390 or e mail: nicky.ansell@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
 
SEE ALSO:
Falls Prevention - Introduction
Falls Prevention - Training
Falls Prevention Video
Chinese Falls Prevention Video