Find your ‘get up and go’ during national falls awareness week

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The South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will be holding an event to launch its fall strategy and raise awareness on the impact falls can have on people who use services and their carers.

The Trust is the local provider of mental health and learning disability services in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

With one in three people in later life suffering from a fall each year, Age UK, the new force combining Age Concern and Help the Aged, is encouraging older people to find out more about falls prevention and get involved in local activities.

The focus of this year’s awareness week is on strength and balance, raising awareness of some simple steps older people can take to avoid a fall in later life.

The Trust is holding a special information day to reiterate this message on 21st June at the education centre, Fieldhead, Wakefield which will include presentations from a number of clinical staff including pharmacy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.

During awareness week leaflets from Age UK will also be distributed across the Trust to people who use services and their carers by clinical staff visiting and on in-patient wards.

Richard Watterston, the Trust’s lead on falls and principal physiotherapist. Said, "By following simple measures and procedures we can all help to reduce the severity and frequency of falls within our services. We now have a simple but very effective screening tool on our Trusts electronic record keeping system (RiO) which will help us identify vulnerable people and therefore plan their individual care without delay."

Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK, said: "Last year we saw over 1,000 events taking place throughout the UK encouraging people to find out more about different ways they can stay active in later life, and we’re hoping to reach out to even more people this year. Events such as this at Fieldhead held in support of Age UK national falls awareness week are a vital way to encourage people in later life to understand more about preventing the risk of a fall and maintaining their independence."

During national falls awareness week, Age UK will be supporting events across the UK highlighting the many benefits staying active in later life can bring. For more information on how to get involved or host your own event, visit www.ageuk.org.uk/fallsday.

Find your ‘get up and go’ during national falls awareness week

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