TRIL Centre, Age Action Ireland announce falls awareness day on June 21

The TRIL Centre and Age Action Ireland announce a falls awareness day, Tuesday 21st June 2011, the longest day of the year.

1 in 3 people over the age of 65 suffer from a fall every year in Ireland. Two-thirds of this group fall again within 6 months, leading to risk of hospitalisation and significant health decline.  As well as physical injuries suffered as the result of a fall, the psychological and social consequences of falling can have a huge impact on the faller.  People who fall may suffer depression, anxiety, isolation and loss of independence.

However falls in older people can be prevented by increasing awareness of falls risks. Additionally, there are many ways to help people to recover to full health after a fall. Announcing the launch of the Falls Awareness Day, Consultant Geriatrician and Director of the Falls and Blackout Unit at St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Professor Rose Anne Kenny, TRIL Principal Investigator for Falls Prevention and Professor of Geriatric Medicine in Trinity College Dublin said, "Falls are very common in older people, however they are preventable. We have many treatments that can help people back to full health and independence, particularly if risk assessment and intervention is provided at an early stage".

Coinciding with the summer equinox, the message from the TRIL Centre and Age Action Ireland is Keep physically active, engage with family and friends, and if concerned with falls, contact your healthcare professional.

The TRIL Centre is conducting leading edge research that is uncovering the biological and psychological factors behind falls in older people. In conjunction with researchers based in Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Intel Ireland and GE Healthcare, the TRIL Centre is at the forefront of using novel sensor technology to predict risk of falling and pointing the way to better diagnosis and management.

"Injuries sustained in falls can have a major impact on the quality of an older person's life and impact on their independence," commented Eamon Timmins, Head of Advocacy and Communications, Age Action. "Increasing awareness of some of the factors around falls and helping prevent falls occurring in the first place, can therefore ensure that more older people enjoy a good quality of life." 

Source: http://www.trilcentre.org/fallsawareness2011