Falls

There is no standardised way of identifying older people at risk of falling, meaning older people in the community who are at risk of falls are potentially not receiving falls prevention advice and/or support. Currently, most older people enter falls prevention programmes after they have fallen, by which time it may be too late to avoid serious consequences, for instance, half of those with hip fracture never regain their previous level of functioning.

A significant unmet need is therefore people who are at risk of falling who would benefit from falls prevention interventions e.g. exercise programmes, who aren’t identified as being at risk, and are therefore not offered any support.

Falls prevention requires a holistic approach, and therefore the lack of provision/access to one of many falls’ prevention services could represent an unmet need. Examples of unmet need in the context of falls prevention may Include:

• Limited occupational therapy capacity to meet demands
• Significant osteoporosis treatment gaps i.e. inadequate identification and treatment of osteoporosis
• Unaddressed falls hazards in the home
• Limited capacity for the provision of exercise classes for older people
• Prolonged referral times for old age memory clinic reviews