Falls Awareness Week

'Falls Awareness Week' is the week commencing - 

               Monday 5th October 2020.

It’s good to see that this year we a more positive mood around ‘Falls Awareness Week’ with an acknowledgement that we should feel good about ageing and celebrate our abilities.  An increased awareness around falling is one of the surest ways to prolong activity and enjoy a healthy older age. So we are joining forces with colleagues across the district to promote the importance of avoiding a tumble.

As the saying goes, ‘most accidents occur in the home’ so you could start by using this week to scan your house for ‘trip hazards’ and make some changes to keep you safer.

For example:

• Rugs and mats at the top or bottom of the stairs are a trip hazard and can easily lead to a fall, so it's a good idea to move them out of the way.
• Install a night light near the bed to make sure if you wake up in the night you can see where you're going. You can install a motion-activated light that comes on as needed.
• Remove trip hazards like trailing wires, clutter and rugs. Also, try and avoid glass furniture as it can be harder to see and may cause a stumble.

The major causes of falling have remained the same for many years and include: 

• environmental hazards
• muscle weakness
• poor balance
• visual impairment
• certain medications (sometimes in combination)
• some specific medical conditions

How badly hurt you can be after a fall can also be reduced by looking after bone health. Your risk of fractures can increase due to a low body weight (BMI <19), a shortage  of calcium and vitamin D, poor mobility, smoking, alcohol and diabetes. Use this week to get familiar with falls! “Know yourself, know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles without loss” is a quote attributed to a warrior called Sun Tzu. Use it this week to know the potential enemy of older age, the fall.

One way to arm yourself against a fall is increase your exercise –

Here is a useful guide:

Get Up and Go – a guide to staying steady – The Chartered Society of Physiotherap

Also here is an animation to get you started:

There is an exercise videos accompanying this guide around the benefits of exercise

There are also useful hints and tips on the national Age UK website:

Avoiding a Fall – Age UK Website

Even if it is just one small change you make to decrease your chance of a fall this week, it will be time and effort well spent.

For more information on some of the support our Connecting Care team give please click on the case studies below.

Case Study 1       Case Study 2