20th June 2011 - Falls Awareness Week 20th – 24th June 2011

Today marks the start of Falls Awareness week and while we’re all familiar with the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’, around 30% of people over 65 and 50% of over 80’s will have a fall each year.*

 Loss of independence and confidence, mobility and in some cases death, are some of the devastating effects on older people. Care & Repair Cymru believe that preventing an older person from falling in the first place and getting people back into their own home a lot quicker should be given much more priority than just protecting budgets to pay for expensive residential care or a hospital stay, or expensive treatment such as hip replacement surgery.

Last year Mrs. Clarke (82yrs) from Ely in Cardiff was referred to Care & Repair by her niece as she was becoming a little unsteady moving around the home and had recently fallen.

Following a home visit Care & Repair helped Mrs Clarke apply for a Home Safety and Security grant which paid for 

 Outside rails to help  her safely negotiate the external steps to her front door

• 2 grab rails in her bathroom for additional support
• A second hand rail up the stairs for additional support

Mrs. Clarke had recently bought a television for her bedroom, but the wires for this were trailing on her bedroom floor so Care & repair arranged for the Help the Aged Handyman scheme to tack the wires down to reduce the risk of falling

Mrs. Clarke now feels more confident following the small adaptations to her home.  Many of the safety issues discussed when Care & Repair visited were issues that Mrs Clarke has simply not considered.

“Care & Repair Cardiff were there when I needed help and advice to maintain my independence in own home. The caseworker made an appointment and took time and trouble in assessing my needs and coming up with practical solutions to maintain my independence.

“The tradesman they sent were extremely helpful and charming carried out the works with the minimum of fuss and even cleaned up! A happy end to the story all the work Care and Repair put in has resulted in me  being more confidence and feeling less likely to fall.”

For every £1 Care & Repair agencies spend on adapting an older person’s home, £7.50 is saved from NHS  and social services budgets. Considering that in the next 10 years, the number of people aged over 65 in Wales will increase by about 5% (an increase of 130,000), and the number aged over 85 will increase by 30,000 – investing in these small preventative measures could save health and social services budgets millions of pounds each year and more importantly ensure older people remain living independently at home for longer.

Chris Jones, Managing Director of Care & Repair Cymru said: “Care & Repair staff across all 22 Care & Repair Agencies in Wales work closely with colleagues in Health and Local Government to identify vulnerable older people in need of our help, and organise preventative works such as grab-rails, stair-lifts, path and floor repairs, electrical repairs, level access showers, door entry systems and key-safes. This work means that older people can remain living safely and independently in their own homes, which is where they tell us they prefer to be. This also prevents hospital admissions and long term residential care which are both far more expensive. My message is that by spending more from the public purse on prevention, the bill for hospital treatment and residential care can be cut drastically”

 Care & Repair Cymru has a fact sheet on their Top Tips on Preventing Trips, Slips and Falls which gives simple, common sense advice which is available here.  If you think that you, or a friend or relative would benefit from Care & Repair’s services, the local rate number is 0300 111 3333. You will be connected to the Care & Repair Agency covering your area who will be more than happy to help. Alternatively, details of Care & Repair services and your local Care & Repair Agencies can be found on the Care & Repair Cymru.

 If you require further information or would like to set up an interview with our Managing Director Chris Jones or a Care & Repair Caseworker, please contact Vera Brinkworth on Tel:029 20576286 or mobile: 07776 307116

 Note to editors

•  *Age UK 
• Care & Repair Cymru is the national body that actively works to ensure that all older people have homes that are safe, secure and appropriate to their needs.There is a Care & Repair agency in every county in Wales.
• Last year 5,471 jobs carried out by Care & Repair agencies were categorised as falls prevention work – but this does not mean that only these jobs contributed to preventing falls.
• There were also a further 5,648 jobs within the Rapid Response Adaptations programme (RRAP), (e.g. installing handrails) which were classified as preventative works.
• A number of Care & Repair agencies have developed specific innovative projects related to falls prevention including the following:

 Bridgend County Care & Repair:

The agency has a dedicated Occupational Therapist working within the agency with a specific remit to address falls prevention.

The post is funded by the Local Health Board (LHB). The LHB has a funded a Falls Co-ordinator based at the Care & Repair Agency.

Care and Repair  in Cardiff:

Cardiff Care & Repair has a Caseworker dedicated to the falls agenda, particularly targeting falls prevention, minimising hazards and risks within the home environment.

Gofal a Thrwsio Ceredigion:

Ceredigion Care & Repair are involved in the development of a falls pathway – working together with both health and social services. This includes methods to track numbers of falls and the development of a referral pathway.

Gofal a Thrwsio Gwynedd:

Gwynedd’s Safety at home service has three dedicated officers who carry out risk assessment within the home. 60% of which are falls prevention referrals from health and social services.

Care & Repair Monmouthshire:

 The ‘Healthy at Home’ project is a home visiting service, specifically for people over 75 to provide advice on health and safety in the home. A falls assessment is carried out.

Care & Repair in the Vale [of Glamorgan]:

The agency has a caseworker dedicated to falls prevention.