How RoSPA’s Fall Fighter Initiative Works to Protect Seniors

Experts on ageing know well that falls in the elderly are a significant concern. Many factors involved in growing older increase a person’s risk of falling and increase the harm they might suffer from a fall. That’s why the NHS guidance on falls says clearly that it takes falling in older people “very seriously.”

So, what can we all do to help prevent dangerous falls?

RoSPA has an answer in their Fall Fighter initiative.

What is RoSPA?

RoSPA is The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. It’s a registered charity that takes action to reduce the grave harm caused by accidents such as falls. That includes accidents at work, at home and on the road.

One main focus of RoSPA’s efforts is providing education and training about how to reduce the risks of accidents. Another is working collaboratively to produce change, such as advocating for the protection of legislation.

What is the Fall Fighter initiative?

RoSPA targets its work toward the areas that will make the biggest difference. That’s why it’s chosen to address falls in older people – because they have such a big impact on older people’s health and happiness. In fact, falls are responsible for a massive 80% of hospital admissions in people over 65.

The Fall Fighter initiative centres mostly on education. With the aim of reducing falls in the elderly, RoSPA has created two sets of training materials – one set that can be used by individuals to self-teach, and another that can be used by people to teach others in the workplace.

“Although the risk of falls increases with age, there are lots of practical, effective things older people can do to combat it and maintain their health and independence,” says Jules Robinson, Falls Engagement Lead at RoSPA. “Fall Fighter raises awareness of fall prevention for families, friends and colleagues and empowers people to share these proactive risk reduction strategies that we should all use to avoid a fall.”

Another element of the Fall Fighter initiative is fundraising through the Falls Charity Appeal. Funds raised will go toward fitness programmes that help reduce the likelihood of falling in seniors.

How RoSPA works with organisations to fight falls

RoSPA’s collaborations demonstrate the real power of information, education and intervention to combat falls in the elderly. While it’s easy for older people to feel that falls due to ageing are inevitable, RoSPA’s work proves that this is not the case.

For example, in 2022 and 2023, RoSPA joined forces with Trent & Dove, a social housing provider, to reduce the risk of falls in its elderly tenants. Trent & Dove adapted RoSPA Fall Fighter training materials and used them to educate its employees and clients in training sessions. It also offered fall prevention home visits to customers aged over 60 – with 161 taking up the offer.

During these visits, customer health and safety advisors asked residents questions and checked each room for risk factors. They also provided education about risk management and advice about individual and environmental steps to take to decrease fall risk. The environmental advisories led to 86 property adaptations such as adding handrails.

55% of the customers who received a visit had fallen in the previous 12 months. Three months after the visit, the rate of falls had fallen by 69%, and 91% of clients felt safer at home. This increase in confidence is no less significant than the decrease in falls, as fearfulness after a fall is a well-known problem for the elderly.

Why does fall prevention matter?

So, why exactly are falls so dangerous to the elderly?

Vulnerability

This is partly because older people’s bodies are more vulnerable. For example, seniors, especially women, might have osteoporosis, which makes their bones more brittle. That’s one reason why falls are likely to result in hip fractures in the elderly.

Older people are also more likely to already have long-term health conditions which might complicate their recovery from injury.

The bottom line is that a fall in an elderly person can easily lead to hospitalisation. If no-one is able to care for the older person once they are released from hospital, they could end up in a care home to recover. In this way, a fall can trigger a series of outcomes that end in a senior’s move to a care home for good.

A “long lie”

One of the worst outcomes of a fall is what’s called a “long lie.” This is a period of one hour or more spent lying on the ground, unable to get up.

A long lie can, of course, be extremely distressing to an older person. It can also be very dangerous, potentially resulting in hypothermia or pressure sores if the person is unable to get up for a long time.

Another serious consequence is psychological. As we’ve mentioned, older people who have experienced a long lie can become very anxious about falling in future. This can make them afraid of moving about at all – which only makes another fall more likely.

How can fall alarms help reduce risks too?

Fall prevention, as promoted by the Fall Fighter initiative, goes hand in hand with mitigation of risks after falls. Since even the best efforts to reduce falls in seniors won’t get the number to zero, older people need to have a plan in place so that they can get help after a fall and avoid enduring a long lie.

Personal alarms for the elderly serve this purpose perfectly. Alarms with one-touch alarm buttons allow wearers to press a single button to call for help. And since they are worn all the time, in the form of either a pendant or a smart watch, there’s no worry that they’ll be out of reach after a fall.

Moreover, an alarm with fall detection provides protection against occasions when an older person is unable to press a button at all. It does this by sensing when its wearer has fallen and calling for help automatically. So, for example, if a senior has struck their head while falling and is unconscious, the alarm should call for assistance anyway.

SureSafe’s alarms with one or both of these functions are a great choice to give seniors peace of mind about falling. Our FallSafe is a personal alarm focused on fall detection, while the SureSafe GO provides both the one-touch button and fall detection functionalities.

With either alarm, you’ll get the expert advice and support that’s earned SureSafe a 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot. If that sounds good to you, why not give us a call at 0808 189 1671? You can also speak with us through live chat or request a call back.