3. Patient Presentation
Created for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
by Kate Bennett Specialist Physiotherapist

4. “Falls are a common, but often overlooked, cause of injury
“Falls are a common, but often overlooked, cause of injury. Around one in three adults over 65 who live at home will have at least one fall a year, and about half of these will have more frequent falls”

5. What causes a fall? Medication Low blood pressure
Poor eyesight or the wrong glasses
Unsuitable shoes
Slips and trips
Home hazards
Alcohol
Being inactive
Low Vitamin D levels
Dizziness

6. “After a fall, an older person has a 50 per cent probability of having their mobility seriously impaired and a 10 per cent probability of dying within a year”
(Help the Aged, Towards Common Ground)

7. What happens after a serious fall?
Leads to people being less active
A fall leads to fear of falling
Leads to a decrease in strength and balance
Leads to another fall
Leads to people being less active
Leads to greater fear of falling
Leads to a decrease in strength and balance
etc. etc…

8. Other consequences Serious injuries Fractures Hospital stay
Move into residential care
Loneliness
Social isolation

9. And our favourite… exercise!
So what can be done?
There are a number of simple things that you can do to reduce the risk of falls or prevent them altogether, such as:
Wearing appropriate footwear and taking care of your feet
Getting your eyesight checked regularly
Checking your home for things that might cause a fall
And our favourite… exercise!
More on this later…

10. How to get up from a fall

11. Are you
at risk
of falls?
A couple of simple ways to tell…

12. Timed Up and Go
A simple test to determine if you are at a higher risk of falls
If the test takes 14 seconds or more you could be at risk of falls – seek advice from your GP about accessing local falls services.

13. “Many older adults would not choose to participate in an exercise programme even if it reduced falls to 0%”
World Congress for Physical Therapy (WCPT) 2017

14. Why exercise?
Strength and balance exercises lead to better balance and strength lead to increased confidence when walking lead to being more active lead to increased strength and balance lead to increased confidence when walking/moving lead to being even more active lead to increased strength and balance etc.

15. Evidence for exercise
“A tailored exercise programme can reduce falls by as much as 54 per cent.”
Falls prevention exercise – following the evidence (Age UK 2013)

16. Exercises to assist with strength and balance

17. In conclusion
Falls are a big problem amongst older people leading to major injury, loss of independence and social isolation
Reasons behind falls are often complex but simple interventions such as exercise can reduce your risk significantly
Strength and balance exercises have been shown to be effective at reducing falls and the risk of falls.

18. “By acting now to prevent falls and maintain your strength and balance you can ensure you remain active and independent and able to do the things you want to do!”

21. Useful links and resources

22. Thank you for watching