Falls awareness event in Barnsley town centre
Staff from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are taking part in an awareness event in Barnsley town centre on Tuesday 21 June, from 9am to 4pm, to mark Age UK’s National Falls Awareness Week.
The event will be held outside the Alhambra shopping centre and aims to raise awareness about the risk of falls amongst older people and promote simple ways to reduce the risk of falls. This year’s theme is vision – highlighting the link between poor sight and falls.
A number of healthcare teams from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will be on hand to offer information and advice, including the falls and osteoporosis service, equipment and adaptations service, visual impairment team and diabetic nurses, along with representatives from Age UK, Central Call, local opticians and the Sport Activ team who will be holding exercise demonstrations. National Falls Awareness Week, held by Age UK which was formed through the joining of Age Concern and Help the Aged, runs from Monday 20 to Friday 24 June and promotes activities and projects that help prevent falls in later life. Every year, around one in three over-65s living in the community and one in two people aged over 85 will have a fall. Falls can cause loss of function, mobility, independence, confidence, and in many cases even death. The consequences can be devastating, both physically and emotionally. Jan Kitchen, falls co-ordinator, said, "Even minor falls can have a significant impact on peoples’ lives, with the fear of falling resulting in loss of confidence to carry out daily tasks such as going outdoors, shopping or even moving around in their own homes. This can lead to social isolation and depression, increasing the risk of falls.
"Falls do not have to be an inevitable part of getting older. The falls awareness event aims to show ways of preventing falls and subsequent injury."
For more information about South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, including how to become a member, visit www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk