Cambridge Council invests in elderly fall prevention

Elderly people in Cambridge are reportedly falling more than those in the rest of the county, and its council is hoping to combat this with a number of interventions. In order to prevent falls, a £600,000 package has been agreed, which will help those who may be unsteady on their feet and who already use mobility aids such as walking sticks and assistive stairlifts. The money will help to pay for services such as strength and balance training, as well as assessing trip hazards in older people’s homes.

It is hoped that the funding will save Cambridge Council up to £300,000 by reducing the costs of complex social care, which may be necessary following a bad fall. This would also help to reduce the number of admissions to A&E, putting less strain on the acute hospitals. It has been suggested that the cause for many of the falls could be due to variations in housing, with less bungalows in the Cambridge area. However, by introducing assessments of the elderly’s homes, it may be possible to prevent these.

Figures higher than national average

According to figures released by Public Health England, Cambridge’s fall statistics are ‘significantly’ higher than the national average, with all nine indicators used to measure these figures being above average, meaning that the city has a black mark against it. During the year 2012/13, there were more than 450 hospital admissions in those aged 65 and above. Of these, 345 were aged 80 and above, and 136 were associated with hip fractures suffered by pensioners.

A spokesman for the council revealed that more work needs to be done in order to improve these statistics, with a need for a strategy to be put in place. Alongside the £600,000 package, it has also been identified as a priority by Cambridgeshire better care funding, with a number of local agencies calling for an investigation into local pathways also.

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