Eye Health Alliance Supports Falls Awareness Day
The Eye Health Alliance has added its support to National Falls Awareness Day, on 23rd June 2009 and urges eye care professionals to highlight the link between poor vision and falls, as well as the availability of domiciliary services that may help to reduce the risk of falls at home.
Age Concern and Help the Aged are calling for better and more consistent falls services on National Falls Awareness Day and will be organising a series of events around the country.
The last national audit of falls and bone health services concluded that services to prevent dangerous falls and fractures amongst older people are patchy and opportunities to prevent secondary falls and fractures are often missed[1].
The report highlights that 700,000 older people each year visit A&E following a fall yet health authorities rarely provide a coordinated fall or fracture service.
With over 600 events expected to take place, practitioners from a wide range of organisations including Primary Care Trusts, housing groups, hospitals, libraries and local authorities use National Falls Awareness Day as an opportunity to highlight their falls prevention work. This is especially important as a recent Healthcare Commission report showed that older people are often unaware of what falls services are available to them[2].
Heather Marshall from the Eye Health Alliance said: ‘older citizens with visual impairment are more likely to fall and are at greater risk of multiple falls. Therefore it’s important that health care professionals, as well as patients understand this link and the NHS services available that may help to reduce instances of falls in older people.’
ENDS
For press enquiries please contact: Sarah Lapham Tel: 020 7202 8159, Email: sarahlapham@aop.org.uk.
Notes to Editor
1. Age Concern and Help the Aged have joined together to form a single charity dedicated to improving the lives of older people.
2. For more information on Falls Awareness Day or to request an action pack, visit www.helptheaged.org.uk/fallsday.
3. For more information on the Eye Health Alliance, visit www.eyehealthalliance.co.uk.
