Age UK Oxfordshire has asked the Parish Council to promote Falls Prevention Awareness Week.
In Oxfordshire, falls are the largest cause of emergency hospital admissions for older people; during 2021/2 there were 3005 emergency hospital admissions for falls in people aged 65+. There were also 3,232 ambulance callouts for people who had fallen and needed to be picked up from the floor, 39% of these were conveyed to hospital.
Falls in later life often lead to a reduction in independence and increased social isolation and affect long-term outcomes for individuals. Falls that result in injury can be devastating, and of those suffering a hip fracture, only one in three people return to former levels of independence and a further third leave their own homes and move to long-term care.
This Falls Prevention Awareness Week, Age UK Oxfordshire is sharing information about its:
- Stay Strong and Steady falls prevention exercise and information programme
- Strength and Balance exercise classes
- Foot care clinics
There is more information on the Oxfordshire On The Move website.
Improve and speed up the service that provides items that help prevent falls such as a trolly for moving around in the house and taking meal to table , grab rails and other small items to help people to stay safe. The waiting time is too long for assessment and frankly some items just need a telephone call not someone to come to the house. As we age we also need to help themselves look at your home as you age and put in place improvements before they become a must to be safe.