New falls prevention alliance launched
On 21 October, we attended the launch of Falls Prevention Alliance Australia, highlighting the urgent need to reduce fall-related harm among older Australians.
Each day 16 older Australians die from a fall and 400 are admitted to hospital. In 2022–23, falls led to 238,055 hospitalisations, making falls the leading cause of injury admissions.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd delivered a powerful keynote, sharing a deeply personal and emotive story that served as a reminder of the human impact behind the statistics.
Updated national guidelines
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care recently updated their Falls Prevention Guidelines for hospitals, residential aged care services and community care. These guidelines provide 20 recommendations to reduce falls risk. Key strategies for older people living in the community include:
- Balance-focused exercise
- Home safety interventions
- Multifactorial risk assessments
- Targeted interventions such as podiatry, cataract surgery, vitamin D, and osteoporosis treatment.
