Falls and Injury Prevention
What is a fall?
“A fall is a sudden unintentional change in position causing an individual to land at a lower level, on an object or to the ground.” Tinetti, 1997.
‘Keep active to prevent falls!’
How can physical activity help prevent falls?
Many research projects have shown that risk factors can be reduced and increased benefits are made in the reduction of falls and injuries when an individual participates in safe structured and appropriate physical activity, this includes osteoporotic fractures. The research indicates the duration of the specific exercise intervention for the falls prevention programme is a key determinate of the effectiveness.
Effective exercise must be regular (1-2 x per/week), specific, and progressive in nature to exceed 15 weeks in duration for those people who are at risk of falls and a minimum of 9 months for the people who are already fallers.
There are three phases to a falls prevention programme.
- Induction/skilling up phase weeks 1-11
- Training gain phase weeks 12-23
- Maintaining the gains phase weeks 24-48
Programme back ground
A falls programme provides comprehensive structured, evidence based frame work for practice.
The aims of the programme are:
- Reduce the risk of falls and related-injury
- Offer education to promote positive lifestyle changes
- Provide safe, effective, enjoyable exercise programmes
- Build on the functional gains achieved by Therapy Services
- Make on going assessments of health and functional capacity
This will be achieved by:
- Improving neuromuscular function
- Progressively improving lower and upper limb strength, mass and bone density
- Making improvements in postural alignment and gait technique, balance and co-ordination
- Increasing confidence, coping strategies and reducing the fear of falling
There are over 400 factors that potentially increase the risk of falls in older people. Making a few positive adjustments to a person’s lifestyle can dramatically reduce those risks.
Postural Stability Instructors (PSI)
The PSI qualification is a recognised, validated national training course the first of its kind worldwide. It was set up to meet the well over due need for trained professionals to support national targets in accident prevention. It is compatible with:
- National framework of Occupational Standards (NOS)
- National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) sited at level 3 (Exercise Practitioner) to be cross referenced with the new level 4
- Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) level 3 advanced to be recognised at the new level 4 grading
- 30 credit points to postgraduate certificate in Falls and Osteoporosis at 3 UK Universities
The programme guidelines provide a comprehensive structured, evidence based frame work for practice.
Our instructors are trained by 'Later Life Training' who are the leading providers of PSI trianing in the country
The aims for a PSI will be to provide the following;
- Establish quality-assured service provision in the community
- Improve access for participation in physical activity
- Encourage education to promote positive lifestyle changes
- Sharing skills between professionals involved, enabling consistency in communication
- Provide safe, effective enjoyable exercise programmes
- Provide graded transitions between the Primary Care and community leisure groups
- Build on the functional gains achieved by Therapy Services
- Provide support to Physiotherapists/Occupational Therapists working in clinical and community settings
- Provide on going assessments of health and functional capacity (inc functional testing)
- Provide social opportunities to increase long term commitment to exercise
- Recognise triggers for referral between professionals
The training module was developed by funding from the Department of Health and is supported by many interested parties, Age Concern England and Help the aged to name just two.
Activate Health staff can deliver
We are able to offer programmes essential to improve health, well-being and physical activity appropriate to prevent the risk of falls in older adults.
Through identifying risks associated with falls and offering exercise sessions and/or advice many physical and psychological improvements can be made. Some of these include increased activities of daily living (ADL’s), increased confidence and independence and better physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Programmes can be delivered in Nursing Homes, Sheltered Accommodation, Community Centres, Day Hospitals and many other locations. They can be in small groups or on an individual basis as personal training.
This service can be offered as part of a Government linked strategy, pilot programme or independently.
Activate Health have been involved with pilot schemes for Falls and Injury Prevention for the Primary Care Trust (PCT) that have been successful with evaluations completed. These now run as an ongoing Falls Management Programmes in Ludlow with the Falls Practitioner & in Shrewsbury with Diagnostics Assessments & Access for Rehabilitation & Therapy team (DAART) with referrals from consultants and GP’s. These programmes have increased & now cater for more frail higher risk participants. It has also lead to delivering training sessions on assessment protocols for clinical staff.
Link to Insight Magazine Article
If you are interested in hearing about the classes already running or require further information please use the links provided.
‘Start adding life to years and years to life’
