Thousands of older people each week are taken to a hospital emergency department after a fall. A session at Histon library next week will reveal how best to avoid being among them – and why this is a vital key to staying healthy for longer.
The statistics about falls and their impact on older people make startling – and worrying – reading.
30% of people aged 65 and over will fall at least once a year, and for those over 80 it is 50%. Falls are the number one reason older people are taken to the emergency department in a hospital, and in around 5% of cases a fall leads to hospitalisation.
The cost of these fractures – in terms of individual wellbeing as well as the NHS budget – is eye-watering. For example, hip fractures not only have a serious impact on daily living activities such as shopping and walking, but 1 in 5 hip fracture patients go into long-term care in the first year after fracture. The NHS bill for this is around £2 billion.
The good news
So that’s the bad news, but the good news is that we can all take action to avoid being one of the victims.
Making simple changes to the home environment can prevent accidents. Removing rugs and mats, installing night lights and keeping loose cables tucked away are obvious – but nonetheless often overlooked – safety measures.
Less obvious, but just as important, is exercise. Regular light activity and movement throughout the day, coupled with specific exercises to improve strength and balance, can also help keep people on their feet, out of hospital and doing the things they enjoy for longer.
Local support
Healthy You, the healthy lifestyles service funded by Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, runs a free exercise programme aimed at doing just that, and on 18th January their ‘road show’ comes to Histon Library.
This introductory Falls Prevention Awareness session will explain how people can start at home to improve their strength and balance. More good news: no specialist equipment or kit is needed, and the exercises can be done from a seated or standing position.
The Healthy You team will also talk about the benefits of ‘FaME’, a free structured 6-month falls management exercise programme that is individualised to the person and gradually becomes more challenging as time goes on.
FaME is a national programme, delivered locally in Milton or Girton by specialist qualified exercise instructors who understand the age-related changes that happen in the body and the medical concerns that people may have.
These small group exercise classes are designed to improve physical fitness, strength and balance. They’re also a great way to meet other people, receive support and build motivation. At the start, instructors have one-to-one sessions with participants to find out about their health and medications, and to identify each person’s starting point for exercise.
Making people aware of the benefit of strength and balance exercises is central to the NHS long-term plan, which emphasises a move away from simply treating disease to a system that helps to keep people healthy for longer. Taking preventative action against the risk of falls is a great way for older people to do just that.
The ‘Falls Prevention Awareness’ session led by Healthy You will take place at Histon Library on 18 Jan 2023, 2.00 – 3.30pm.
For more information about falls prevention assessments, contact Healthy You at healthyyou@everyonehealth.co.uk
