Every year in Wales, more than a third of people over 65 suffer a fall, often leading to injury, a loss of self confidence, mobility and independence.
Falls among older people can occur for a number of reasons, varying from loss of strength and coordination, deterioration in eye sight, effects of certain medicines, to poor lighting, loose rugs or even poor footwear.
In order to tackle the problem, the Isle of Anglesey County Council and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have established a community based falls prevention service.
As part of Age UK’s National Falls Awareness Week (June 21-25th), the service will be providing a demonstration of activities in Llangefni Town Hall on Thursday June 24th between 10.00am – 2.00pm.
Louise Cartner is the physiotherapist leading on the service for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. She explained,
“This is an excellent opportunity for people visiting Llangefni Market to come and see what the service has to offer. We’ll be conducting falls risk assessments, providing advice and information on how to access the service, and we’ve also persuaded current service users to take part in a gentle-exercise demonstration class. Age shouldn’t be a barrier, and our older participants are those who benefit and enjoy it the most.”
The feedback from service users has already been very positive, and most feel much more confident on their feet and independent in the community having taken part.
The County Council’s Older People Strategy Coordinator, Brian Jones, said, “By working closely with our colleagues in Age Concern Gwynedd a Môn, we’re hoping to raise the profile of the new Anglesey service during National Falls Awareness Week. The new service will provide a welcome addition to existing services in the community which support health and well-being of older people, such as the AgeWell Centres and Over 50s Groups.”
The new Anglesey falls prevention service has already been recognised nationally by the Assembly following a thorough evaluation in partnership with Bangor University.
Dafydd Gwynne, Health Partnerships Advisor for the Council, added, “We’re very proud of our Falls Prevention Service here on the Island. It is an excellent example of joint working, especially between physiotherapists and Leisure Services exercise officers. It adds value by referring those who’ve used the Falls Prevention Service onto other community based activities which helps improve quality of life.”
For those who can’t attend the day in Llangefni, you can self-refer to the Falls Prevention Service by contacting 01407 766065, or ask your GP for a Falls Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) referral. Further in-depth assessments can be made at home if required, and falls prevention exercise classes are delivered across the Island.
You can find out more information on the Anglesey AgeWell network by contacting 01407 721948 or [email protected]
