Do leaves have to fall in their Autumn? A falls prevention strategy in action in the south east of South Australia.
BACKGROUND
The costs of falls in terms of individual suffering and to the community are high, and these costs will increase markedly as the population ages. The aim of this study into falls prevention in persons 65 years and over in the south east of South Australia, 1 April 2000-31 March 2002, was to develop and implement a multifaceted intervention program to limit the incidence of falls and to lessen the extent of falls injury in a population of elderly people.


OBJECTIVE
Studies in the early to mid-1990s identified that approximately one-third of people aged 65 years and over, living in the community, report one or more falls in the previous 12 months. In residential aged care and in hospital settings, the annual falls rate in this age group can be as high as 50%. The number and severity of falls injuries also increases with advancing age and with the increased incidence of osteoporosis. A total of 2148 falls were reported over the 2 years of the study from this South Australian rural region's population of 7553 people aged 65 years and over, with marked variations in number from month to month, but with no overall trend. The rate of hospital admission after a fall decreased from 12% in the first 12 months to 7% in the second. The total fracture rate decreased from 7% in the first 12 months to 4% in the second. Both reductions are statistically significant (p < 0.001). Comparison of yearly hip fracture rates before and during the 2 years revealed a reduction of 35%.


CONCLUSIONS
This regional falls prevention strategy was associated with a decrease in reported falls injury over 2 years although it had no overall effect on the frequency of falls. A useful way to implement such a strategy was identified, as were factors necessary to achieving a reduction in fractures. The value of hip protectors as a cheap, safe, effective and immediate protection against serious injury was confirmed.
Brown
D S
DS
rowallan@datafast.net.au