The Prevention and Management of Falls in the Community: A Framework for Action for Scotland 2014/2015

The Framework builds on the model presented in the Up and About resource, and focuses on falls prevention and management and fracture prevention for older people living in the community. The Framework is underpinned by evidence from research and draws on knowledge and experience gained by the falls prevention community in Scotland over the last four years.


Introduction

With health and social care services striving to address the challenge of demographic change and rising demands on public services, falls among older people are a major and growing concern. A recently published economic evaluation provided an estimate of the cost to health and social care services in Scotland of managing the consequences of falls: in excess of £470 million and set to rise over the next decade as our population ages and the proportion with multimorbidity and polypharmacy grows. Less easy to quantify is the impact of falls on an older person's independence and quality of life, and the repercussions for family and friends.

However, falls are not an inevitable consequence of old age. Well-organised services, delivering recommended and evidence based practices can prevent many falls and fractures in older people in the community setting.

Contact

Email: Julie Townsend

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