by Steve Richardson on May 18, 2012
Falls Awareness week is on its way; this year’s theme is ‘Boost your Bones’. If you’re thinking of taking part, the action pack will give you all the information you need to organise and run an event, as well as details of how to order promotional resources such as posters, flyers, balloons and banners. To download a copy, visit www.ageuk.org.uk/fallsweek, or request hardcopies by e-mailing falls@ageuk.org.uk.
This year, Age UK will also be producing participant evaluation forms, an interactive quiz on bone health and a template press release for your event.
Professionals running events are also invited to join the Boost your Bones webinar on falls and bone health, which will take place on Monday 11th June at 3pm. Click for more details and to register for the Falls and Bone Health Webinar.
Call for case studies
Age UK is still looking for case studies of older people who have fallen, and particularly those that have fractured a bone, to highlight the importance of falls prevention services and interventions during Falls Awareness Week.
If you know anyone who fits within one or more of these categories that would be happy to share their story with us, and potentially help others to reduce their risk of falls, please contact falls@ageuk.org.uk or call 0203 033 1354.
by Dawn Skelton on May 18, 2012
Different formats of Otago Exercises now available
The evidence behind the cost-effectiveness of the Otago Home Exercise programme in reduction of falls is very strong. However, not all people find reading these exercises, from a booklet or photocopied sheets, easy. For example, many older people have a visual impairment such that reading from a printed format is difficult and therefore their adherence to doing the exercises might be reduced. The VIP trial, by Campbell and Robertson, showed that adherence to the Otago exercises was reduced in this population. Working closely with the original Otago authors, Later Life Training have rolled out a National Training Qualification in the UK for those wishing to deliver the Otago home exercise programme. A number of the instructors had asked different formats such as audio files that people may be able to play on their CD/MP3 player or iPod if they use such technologies. Later Life Training have now provided this for their instructors and they are available for others to download.
Presented by a professional qualified Otago Exercise Programme Leader these audio guides take you through each and every exercise with .mp3 playlists for different levels of ability. The idea is to either buy a CD or download the files, then you get all files individually and also four playlists. You can burn the individual playlists (beginners, intermediate and making progress and advanced) to CDs as required so that your clients/patients get one set of exercises on their CD – tailored to suit their needs at that time. As they progress with their exercises, a new CD can be given to them so that they continue the progress. At present the audio files are only in the English Language.
Full information about the audio files, can be found on the Later Life Training Otago Audio Files web page. They can be used in conjunction with the freely downloadable Otago home exercise booklet that Later Life Training provide as well.
