Falls Collaborative Impact of a fall on an older person and the difference a consistent approach can make

Sarah Stone Deputy Older Peoples Commissioner for Wales

Older Peoples Commissioner for Wales Promote the interests of older people Challenge discrimination Promote best practice Review the law UN Principles

Importance of falls prevention to older people Individuals contact the Commission Complex interactions eg time of carer calling Hospital review issues raised ICM poll showed greatest fear is loss of mobility

Importance of falls prevention Numbers of older people are set to increase Increased longevity is a great achievement Older people are major contributors to life in the UK, including as volunteers, carers, grandparents, contributors to community and civic life This is not just about ‘them’ this is about all of us

National Service Framework for Older People in Wales One in two women and one in five men over 50 will suffer an osteopathic fracture (over 12,000 in Wales each year) 25% of those with hip fractures will die within a year, with half of survivors failing to regain their pre-fracture level of independence Hip fracture costs Health and Services £84 million each year

NSF Standard ‘The NHS, working in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders, takes action to prevent falls, osteoporosis, fractures and other resulting injuries, and to maintain wellbeing in their populations of older people. Older people who have fallen receive effective treatment and rehabilitation and, with their carers, receive advice on prevention through integration of falls and fracture services.’

National Falls Awareness week 2010 evaluation Research shows that in order to effective in communicating about falls prevention to older people, messages should stress the benefits of exercise and interventions that improve health, mobility and confidence, rather than focussing on the negative aspects and consequences of falls.

Footcare is vital Age Concern footcare campaign Learning from effective and appropriate use of volunteers Listening to older people themselves Learning from effective services Practical help: aids and adaptations

The need for a consistently effective approach Examples of good practice Wales local visits Autumn 2010 included: Falls prevention clinic Torfaen, Falls Clinic, Wrexham Anglesey falls prevention service,

Falls prevention clinic Torfaen

Prevention The preventative value of the service is very important, as looking after feet prevents falls, helps maintain confidence and mobility as well as aiding prevention against other health problems.

Frailty Recent seminar Stress on learning from what works Too many people spend too long in hospital What could be the role of core principles for health and social care? Are health, social services, the third sector equal partners?

Consistently excellent The key message from the service is that they feel they are on a mission to improve the way in which older people are served by health and social care services, so that they are not admitted to hospital unnecessarily and are able to be as independent as possible.