falls

Using data from TILDA researchers from Trinity College Dublin, St James’s Hospital, Dublin and three UK Universities have discovered a significant link between serious falls causing injury in older men and a particular group of commonly used medicines. Many medicines which are commonly prescribed for older people for bladder problems, depression, psychosis, insomnia, and respiratory problems, have anti-cholinergic effects. The medications affect the brain by blocking a key chemical called acetylcholine which is involved in passing messages between nerve cells.

With falls by older people living in the community now estimated to cost Scotland’s health and care services more than £471m every year, a new campaign has begun that encourages older people to avoid falling. The City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian have jointly launched Five Small Steps To Stay On Your Feet which gives people simple tips to try and prevent falls and also information about what to do if they do suffer one.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced a series of practical statements to help the NHS tackle falls, one of the major causes of disability or death in older people.

Falling is the leading cause of injury-related death in people over 75 in the UK, and costs the NHS an estimated £2.3 billion per year. To improve the care of older people who have suffered a fall, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has set out key priorities for consultation. The draft quality standard aims to help NHS staff prevent further injury in older patients who have had a fall.

Allied health professionals and nurses should treat depressive symptoms in older people with a combination of physical exercise and psychosocial therapies, according to new research. Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) researchers found older people experiencing depression are at a greater risk of falling.

Falls in the home claimed the lives of 480 people in Northern Ireland between 2001-2011 and accidents in the home lead to significant injuries and hospital admissions. NI Health Minister Edwin Poots has launched a public consultation on a draft home accident prevention strategy with particular focus on the under 5s and over 65s. The consultation document can be accessed via the website here.

Each year, 1 out of 3 adults aged 65 and over in the US falls. A third of those falls result in moderate to severe injuries that can lead to further declines in health and loss of independence. Thousands of older adults die each year from such falls as well. To find effective, evidence-based strategies to address the personal and public health burden of these falls, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) have joined to support a clinical trial to test individually tailored interventions to prevent fall-related injuries.

Age UK has today revealed that 250,000 people aged 65+ in England are treated in hospital as the result of a fall every year. The figures have been announced to mark the start of Age UK’s Falls Awareness Week 2013 (17-21 June), which aims to raise awareness of the things that people can do to help prevent the devastating consequences of a fall in later life.