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Preventing falls
As our population continues to age, it is crucial to ensure that more older people spend a greater proportion of their lives in good health. Our health and social care system is better at dealing with acute needs than preventing them from occurring in the first place. Currently, Help the Aged is focusing on four areas of public health concerning older people – preventing falls, osteoporosis, incontinence and physical activity – on the basis that these can have a dramatic impact on an older person’s quality of life and confidence. Policy to support this work can be found in this section. The resources are available on the main Help the Aged website
Falls represent the most frequent and serious type of accident in the over 65s, with one older person dying every five hours as a result of a fall. The Preventing Falls Programme commissions research and produces resources for practitioners and older people. It launched the first ever National Falls Awareness Day in 2005, helping to spread the falls prevention message to older people and improve links with local services and older people from black and minority ethnic communities. Resources and advice about Preventing Falls are on the Help the Aged website at For current reports please see below. Falls Prevention in Practice - A Literature Review (November 2007) Fall Stop, Making falls prevention programmes more effective (November 2007) Preventing Falls Policy Statement (August 2007) This briefing details the prevalence of falls among older people and the impact of falls on their lives. It also highlights how Help the Aged is working to raise awareness of the issue for older people, carers and health professionals in England. National Falls Awareness Day 2008 A link to the NFAD page on the main Help the Aged website. with links to the previous years' reports. National Falls Awareness Day Evaluation Report (August 2005) Report of Year One of National Falls Awareness Day. Minority Ethnic Elders Falls Prevention Programme Year 2 Report (April 2006) A report on Year 2 of the MEEFP programme. Minority Ethic Elders Falls Prevention Programme Year 1 Report (April 2005) Report of Year One of the MEEFP Programme. A link to the Royal College of Physicians' Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit website and the National Audit that examines the clinical services provided to older people who have fallen and sustained a fragility fracture. NICE guidance on Falls (NICE 2004) Link to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines on falls. National Service Framework for Older People: Standard 6 Falls (Department of Health 2001) Link to the Department of Health website for the NSF for Older People. 'Standard 6 - Falls' is on page 76.
One in two women and one in five men can expect to break a bone after the age of 50 due to osteoporosis. Help the Aged is working with key partners such as the National Osteoporosis Society to improve the assessment and treatment of osteoporosis in primary care. Osteoporosis Policy Statement (August 2007) This briefing outlines the prevalence of bone fracture among older people, osteoporosis and the impact of the condition in later life, and the importance of maintaining good bone health in older age. A link to the Royal College of Physicians' Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit website and the National Audit that examines the clinical services provided to older people who have fallen and sustained a fragility fracture. A link to the National Osteoporosis Society's website to access the All Party Parliamentary Group report on falls and osteoporosis services in England.
In the United Kingdom, at least 6 million adults cannot control their bladders as they would wish and about 500,000 adults have similar trouble with their bowels.Yet incontinence is not an inevitable part of ageing, nor is the condition incurable in many instances. Help the Aged is starting to fill gaps in understanding by commissioning bio-medical and social research into incontinence. The programme has recently commissioned research into the links between incontinence and isolation due to be published in 2006/7. Research into Ageing is one of the few research groups that commit funds to this neglected area. The Charity is also linking with other key organisations in the field to raise general awareness of this condition and the importance of assessment and treatment. Incontinence Policy Statement (January 2008) This briefing outlines why Help the Aged considers incontinence to be a key policy issue and outlines our key recommendations for improving the current situation. Incontinence and Older People: is there a link to social isolation? (September 2007)also available from the BioMed website National Audit of Continence Care for Older People (Royal College of Physicians 2005) A link to the Royal College of Physicians' Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit web page on Continence and to the The National Audit of Continence Care for Older People (NACCOP). Link to the Department of Health website for the NSF for Older People. 'Standard 2 - Person-centred Care' is on page 23. Good practice in continence services (Department of Health 2000) The Government's review of good practice in continence services.
The Healthy Ageing Programme aims to promote the value of physical activity for older people in a number of ways with 87 per cent of those aged 65 to 74 not achieving the weekly recommended target of physical activity. (Health Survey for England 2003). It is co-ordinating the National Coalition for Active Ageing, established in 2005, linking key partners and organisations to promote physical activity with older people of all interests, abilities and ages. The programme also develops exercise resources for older people including videos, a DVD and book in a variety of languages. Visit the Online Shop for more infomation. Physical Activity Policy Statement (January 2008) This briefing explains why physical activity is so important for older people and describes the role Help the Aged is playing in promoting physical activity as a way to maintain good health and independence in later life. National Coalition for Active Ageing (April 2006) Introduction to the National Coalition for Active Ageing. Choosing Health: Making healthier choices easier (November 2004) A link to access The Department of Health's White Paper setting out the principles for supporting the public to make healthier and more informed choices in regards to their health. Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan (March 2005) A link to the Government's paper setting out plans to co-ordinate a range of departments and organisations to promote increased participation in physical activity across England. It also sets out to address how the commitments on physical activity presented in Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier will be met. The Government's report setting out the latest research evidence of the benefits of physical activity for health.
Mid-life is a key time to take steps to focus on health and to reduce the risk of illness and disability in later life. The Pennell Initiative for Women's Health aimed to raise awareness about health issues affecting women in mid-life to empower them to lead a more active life in older age. Since 2003, when the Pennell Initiative was incorporated into Help the Aged, the charity has built on the ethos of Pennell. It has, however, widened its scope and perspective to include a focus on both men and women's health in mid-life as a way to prevent future deprivation. This work is still developing but is currently is carried forward in three main areas: Influencing a Department of Health scheme on mid-life health checks for people aged over 45 and on the introduction of the new health trainers role; Commissioning research to examine evidence of the impact of employment on women's health and to identify issues to be addressed. Updating HTA literature on health to include the latest information on menopause A report for Help the Aged and TAEN (The Age and Employment Network), Older Men, Work and Health aims to complement the earlier review, 'Older Women, Work and Health' by providing an overview of the literature regarding the complex interrelationships between work and health among older men. Participation of women in the labour force continues to grow, but little is known about the effects that work can have on their health. This research draws attention to this neglected issue in the world of employment. Older Women, Work and Health Pennel seminar report Summary of the seminar to launch "Older Women, Work and Health" on 6 November 2006. Our Health, Our Care, Our Say (January 2006) This Department of Health White Paper aims to set out a vision to provide people with good quality social care and NHS services in the communities where they live. Health, work and well-being - Caring for our future. (October 2005) A Department of Health strategy for the health and well-being of working age people. Choosing Health (November 2004) The Government turned the spotlight on the need for a greater focus on health promotion in its 2004 White Paper 'Choosing Health'. See Chapter 7 for information on Work and Health. Health Select Committe Public Health (February 2005) Submission to the Health Select Committee inquiry into the Government's Public Health White Paper concerning inadequate recognition of older people's needs and interests and the importance of promoting healthy ageing. Promoting health in older age (July 2006) Policy statement on promoting health in older age, the importance of prevention, evidence of poverty, deprivation, and barriers to healthy ageing. Securing Good Health for the Whole Population (November 2003) Response to the Government's Wanless interim report on future health in regards to the NHS Plan examining the causes of unhealthy ageing, predictions for the future and promoting healthy ageing. |
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