TrustNEWS Item

Ref: tn_6305
Date: 19th July 2005

Trust gets Active to mark National Falls Awareness Day

Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s Active Living Team has today come out in support of a national campaign ‘National Falls Awareness Day’ led by Help the Aged, that highlights the growing need for society to be aware of the dangers that older people face in their own homes.

New research released today by Help the Aged highlights the need for greater awareness about the danger of falls, with 90% of older people recognising that they are at risk but less than half taking any specific measures to prevent it.

Falling is the most common cause of accidental death amongst older people, with one person dying every 5 hours as a result of a fall in the home. It causes an estimated 36,000 serious injuries each year*, at a cost of £981 million to the Government.

Help the Aged is now warning that unless something is done to raise awareness of the risks and to highlight the measures that can be taken to prevent it, more and more older people will continue to suffer needlessly. In response, Help the Aged has launched the first ever National Falls Awareness Day on 19^th July 2005, a day dedicated to promoting falls prevention amongst older people.

In Wigan, to mark National Falls Awareness Day, representatives from a range of organisations including Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, Wigan Council, Age Concern, Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust have come together to produce a ‘Stay Steady – Keep on your Feet’ leaflet for local people. The leaflet will give older people who have fallen or who are at risk of falling, a range of local contacts to help them maintain their independence and quality of life.

Carol Southern, Manager of the Active Living Team, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust says:

‘There are so many different services available across the Wigan borough for older people at risk of falling, that we thought it would be useful to pull all the information together into one understandable leaflet. All the main risk factors for falls such as lack of exercise, diet, hazards in the home and confidence in walking are covered, so look out for the Stay Steady leaflets if you have a relative, friend or neighbour at risk of falling. ‘

National Falls Awareness Day is being marked by over 250 events across the country aimed at raising awareness of the positive activities older people can participate in to reduce their risk of falling.

To reserve a copy of the ‘Stay Steady’ leaflet, available across a number of outlets including GP surgeries and NHS Trust sites, please contact the Active Living Team on (01942) 488481.

* DTI, Accidental Falls in the home, DTI 1999

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NOTES TO EDITORS:
For further information about this this News Release please contact Chris Dunbar, Public Relations Consultant, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust on 01942 486937. The Preventing Falls Programme at Help the Aged aims to highlight the risk of falling among older people. It offers practical advice and support for older people and practitioners to reduce the fear and risk or falling in later life. For more information about falls prevention visit www.helptheaged.org.uk/slipstrips

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