Bid to cut fatal falls among elderly

YORK Hospital is hoping to raise awareness for elderly people and their families on how to prevent accidental falls, the most common cause of death for people aged 65 and over.

Staff from York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which visits people in their homes to complete risk assessments, is hosting an open day on Tuesday next week to highlight the issue.

Falls prevention co-ordinator Adele Harvey said: “We want to give older people the opportunity to come and get first hand advice on the best way to stay safe as many falls take place in people’s homes. Advice will be offered on all kinds of health matters as well as information sheets of exercises to help with stability, and who to contact in case of emergency. Above all, we want to make sure that older people have as much advice as possible to stay safe. Falls represent a serious problem for older people, occurring in around 30 per cent of over 65s and 50 per cent of those aged over 80 every year. Even a minor fall can result in serious consequences, both physically and psychologically.”