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Falls and Injury Prevention
Falls and FracturesWE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF REBUILDING OUR WEBSITE. IF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY DIFFICULTIES NAVIGATING AROUND THE SITE, PLEASE CALL US ON 01835 864866 FOR HELP! OUR ONLINE SHOP IS FULLY OPERATIONAL AND IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE WEBSITE CHANGES. YOU CAN SEARCH FOR THE PRODUCTS OF YOUR CHOICE THERE! SIMPLY CLICK ON THE 'TO SHOP ONLINE' MOVING LINK ABOVE TO BE REDIRECTED TO OUR ONLINE SHOP. IF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY DIFFICULTIES NAVIGATING AROUND THE SITE or GOING TO OUR ONLINE SHOP, PLEASE CALL US ON 01835 864866 FOR HELP! Our International number for calling from outside the UK is + 44 1835 864866.
Fractures of the hip are common injuries in older and elderly people, who have weakened bones and low muscle mass. In the frail elderly people, the thinned muscle lining around the hips leaves the bony area exposed and unprotected from the effects of common traumas, such as falling, slipping or tripping. Many hip fractures result from a sideway fall, which subjects the greater trochanteric area of the proximal femur to the force of the impact. Hip Fracture Prevention Strategies include the following preventive actions:
Hip fractures are most commonly sustained during a fall.
The trochanteric area is the most vulnerable to fracture. It lies at the very top of the thigh bone in close proximity to the pelvic joint. The trochanter feels like a small bony elevation on the side of the hip. This ball will notably move, when the knee is slightly raised. Most people can identify their trochanter by placing the fingers on the side of the hip whilst standing and slightly raising their knee. The trochanter should not be confused with the pelvic bone that is located higher and further towards the front of the body and does not move on raising the knee. There are many factors that play a role in sustaining a hip fracture. Amongst these are falls. Falls prevention
As most falls occur at home, everyone – especially older or elderly people - should ensure that their home is safe and the likelihood of accidentally falling is reduced. Health advice should be also be considered and followed. General tips to reduce the risk of falling at home:
Important common sense advice:
Creating a Falls User Information Pathway - an informative poster for healthcare professionals The poster from Sally-Ann Belward and Margaret Hanson of the Falls Prevention Team at Southampton City PCT aims to give a clear guidance on the provision of helpful and appropriate evidence based information to people at risk of falling and to those who have fallen. Information given to older people during falls prevention programmes and during rehabilitation of those who have fallen is likely to be better understood and acted upon when supported by written materials. Such written materials should clearly complement verbal advice and reinforce important key messages conveyed. Older people and/or their carers can re-read the materials as required at their own convenience. Professionals involved with the preparation of informative materials should ensure that the written materials and the key messages are standardised across the network to prevent costly duplication and potential confusion.
A. General Information - materials that can be given to older people or carers during the first contact with them (i.e. information about falls and creating of safe home environment). B. Information to be given to the patients and/or their carers in conjunction with treatment and education sessions on falls prevention (i.e. how to prevent falls and what to do in case of a fall). C. Information given with specific diagnoses in addition to the information in the A and B sections as outlined above (i.e. information on postural hypotension, vaso-vagal syncope, osteoporosis, fractured neck of femur). The poster lists suitable validated resources and provides information on how/where to obtain them. It is a valuable source of information for all professionals involved with the development of local Falls Care Pathways and Falls Education Plans. Click here to download pdf file with the poster 'Creating a Falls User Information Pathway' See all our products At a Glance! Click Here!
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Osteoporotic bones are fragile and porous and more prone to breaking than normal
healthy bones. Osteoporotic fractures can occur in any part of the skeleton but
are most common at the wrist, spine and hip. There is a lot of pain and
morbidity associated with all fractures, but it is the hip fracture that is the
most devastating of all. Hip fracture is the most common reason of the
permanent loss of elderly people's independence. 
The
fracture can happen in the area of the femoral neck or in the trochanteric area.
The hip can be best described as a ball and socket joint. The socket is located
in the pelvis and the ball is the head of the femur - the thigh bone. The area of the thigh bone at its upper end is called the
greater trochanter. You can feel it moving, when you place your fingertips on
the side of your hip, while slightly raising your knee. The neck of the femur is
between the ball and the greater trochanter. Hip fractures occur in the area of
the femoral neck or in the area just below the femoral neck called the
trochanteric area. 
Although anyone can fall, the risk of falling increases with age. This may be
due to age related health factors like impaired eyesight, compromised lower body
strength, impaired mobility, poor balance
and body agility. Risk of falls can also be caused by medication, especially if
taking 4 or more different medicines or simply due to an
unsafe living environment. Effects of falls in elderly people can be
very serious. Falls prevention is an important primary activity - however, all
falls cannot be prevented and despite all efforts, elderly people
continue to fall! Protecting the most vulnerable sites of the body from the
impact of the falls should therefore be a serious consideration and an integral
part of care standards. 
