International Experts Offer Insights To Prevent Falls

Falls are a pressing issue for older New Zealanders that will be addressed at a symposium in Auckland on 5 February.

Experts from Europe, Australia and Aotearoa will present cutting edge research at the Ageing, Mobility and Staying Upright symposium at the University of Auckland.

The free event was organised to help meet an urgent need for high-quality research to be shared in New Zealand, says Professor Ngaire Kerse, who is Joyce Cook Chair in Ageing Well, director of the CoCreated Ageing Research Centre at the University of Auckland and a GP.

In Aotearoa, falls are one of the top three causes of injury-related death for people aged over 65 - and the most common cause for people aged over 80.

About 30 percent of people aged over 65 suffer a fall every year, and about 60 percent in aged residential care will fall every year.

“It’s a major issue, but we don’t have enough funding for the research we need in New Zealand - that’s why I wanted to bring these experts from overseas together to share their wisdom.

“I hope New Zealand researchers, doctors and healthcare workers can tap into the innovations shared by these overseas experts, who receive much better funding,” says Kerse.

The proportion of New Zealand’s population aged over 65 is increasing fast, adding to the urgency of developing better understandings of what causes falls – and what can prevent them.

In 2022, one in six people in New Zealand were aged over 65, but this is projected to increase to one in four by the 2050s. The number of people aged over 85 is also expected to triple within the next 15 years.

At the symposium, Kerse will discuss the latest Cochrane research on interventions to prevent falls in aged care facilities, based on 103 trials with 67,844 participants. She will outline the evidence on the best ways to prevent falls in care settings.

Professor of Human Movement Science from Newcastle University in England Lyn Rochester will offer an update on the development of wearable devices to measure people’s mobility.

Professor at IB University for Health and Social Sciences in Germany Jochen Klenk will offer insights from the Mobilise-D Clinical Validation Study on recovering mobility after hip fracture surgery.

Auckland University of Technology Professor Denise Taylor will discuss disorders of the inner ear that cause dizziness and loss of balance in older people.

University of Auckland senior research fellow and physiotherapist Lynne Taylor will offer lessons from the Staying UpRight Trial. About 520 people were involved in the trial, which evaluated an exercise programme designed to reduce falls in 25 aged residential care facilities in New Zealand.

National Institute for Health and Care Research advanced fellow at Newcastle University Ríona McArdle will present new evidence from research on aged care residents and people with Parkinson’s disease that challenges assumptions that walking should be restricted to minimise the risk of falls.

The general manager clinical services of Summerset, which operates 37 retirement villages in New Zealand,Lynda Irvine, and Lynne Taylor will talk about a working group set up in 2023 to minimise the risk of falls. The group developed initiatives, including falls education and training for staff, a pilot strength and balance exercise programme, and using new motion sensor bed technologies.

Click here to find out more about the free symposium at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland on 5 February.

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