Staying on your feet
The importance of maintaining strength and balance is the message many health agencies are spreading to health professionals for the month of April, also known as April No Falls, to educate and raise awareness about falls prevention measures.
Government health agencies around the country are encouraging health professionals to help keep people on their feet by spreading the ‘April No Falls’ message.
The day usually coincides with April Fools’ Day, April 1, but many agencies are planning a month long campaign to educate on and raise awareness of falls prevention measures.
The Injury Control Council of Western Australia (ICCWA) is coordinating a month of events from April 1 across the state in regional and metropolitan hospitals, community health services and aged care facilities for its April No Falls campaign.
South Australia has likewise dedicated the whole month for its April Falls Awareness Month. And April Falls Day will be celebrated on April 3 instead of April 1 in New South Wales this year due to Easter, with activities planned throughout the month.
The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) has come out in strong support of the April No Falls campaigns and is calling on all health professionals to get on board.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation in persons aged 65 years and over in Australia, but there are simple exercise-based strategies available to decrease the risk of falls, APA President Marcus Dripps said.
“Evidence shows us that home-based exercise programs containing some form of balance and strength training are the most important intervention strategy to effectively decrease falls,” Mr Dripps said.
The message from the APA is to keep active and on your feet because inactive or unfit people often have poorer balance and weaker muscles and therefore and increased risk of falling.
“An Australian review into falls prevention found that fall rates can be reduced by up to 65 per cent with a combination of a high-dose exercise program and balance challenging exercises, such as standing with feet close together or on one leg while practicing controlled movements,” Mr Dripps said.
In addition to falls being a physical risk for older individuals, a fear of falls can lead to a loss of confidence and activity avoidance, further declining balance, mobility and independence, he said.
See below for state-specific information and links to useful resources.
Western Australia
See the Injury Control Council of Western Australia April No Falls page for all the information on the campaign including event locations (pdf), quizzes and links to falls prevention resources, such as the Falls Prevention Health Network.
South Australia
For more informaiton see Falls Prevention SA, the Falls Awareness Month campaign page, and the South Australian government’s Falls Awareness Month document (pdf) for the campaign which includes ideas and resources for health professionals (pdf) such as statistics, activity suggestions and links to online resources.
New South Wales
See the Clinical Excellence Commission’s April Falls Day campaign page for New South Wales event information, falls prevention suggestions and downloadable flyers, which feature exercise demonstrations that can be done in the home.
