Community Falls Management Programme
Falls are the most frequent and serious type of accident in older people. It is estimated that 1 in 3 older people over the age of 65 and 1 in 2 over the age of 80 will fall every year. Falls in older people can be devastating and life changing resulting in physical, social and psychological after-effects. Even if a fall does not result in serious consequences, the fear of falling again can often lead to self imposed restriction on mobility, decreased independence, depression and social isolation. There is a mass of evidence showing that multifactorial interventions that incorporate specially designed exercise programmes to improve strength and balance can lead to a reduction in falls. Many of the current programmes that are available provide intervention after a person has had a fall. With evidence mounting on the usefulness of clinical tools that may be used to predict the risk of falls in elderly, there is growing debate among health professionals that preventing falls must be at the forefront of any falls management programme. Falls Assist UK has a growing network of highly qualified health professionals that employ a variety of tools to perform a multifactorial comprehensive assessment and provide a proven programme that helps to reduce the risk of falls.