Fall-Proofing

Monday 17 October 2005

The University of Newcastle's, Faculty of Health is running a research study for older people at risk of falls and is looking for volunteers to take part.

Fall injury in the elderly is a major health problem. About a third of older people will fall each year and 3% will sustain a serious injury. People over 70 have 3 times the risk of nursing home placement after one fall and 6 times the risk after 2 falls.

Researcher Dr Lynette Mackenzie from the Discipline of Occupational Therapy in the Faculty of Health says her research program called Fall-Proofing is designed to give people over the age of 70 improved confidence and overcome the risk factors involved in falls.

"When an older person has a fall they often suffer a major loss of confidence and that leads to restricted social and physical activity which can compound the problem," said Dr Mackenzie.

"Fear of falling is as great a fear to some older people as the fear of robbery or financial problems."

The Fall-Proofing program involves a 2-hour session per week for 8 weeks for groups of 8 to 10.

"The program includes exercise, accessing the community safely, home safety and maintaining general health," said Lynette.

"We have found we can improve people's mobility, which leads to a lift in confidence, while also reducing the risk factors involved in falls both at home and in the community."

The study is funded by the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.

Interested participants can contact Lynne Sutton, from Occupational Therapy at the University of Newcastle, on (02) 4921 8675 or (02) 4921 6398 between 8.30am - 2pm weekdays for an information pack.

For media interviews contact Dr Lynette Mackenzie on (02) 4921 5925.