Three Falls Action Centres of Excellence Opened in Ireland (Press Release)
Dublin, Ireland, 19 February 2015, Falls Action (www.falls.ie), which provides a comprehensive and objective falls prevention service, today announced the opening of three Falls Action Centres of Excellence in Dublin and in Limerick.
Falls Action, established at the end of last year, is a partnership between Spectrum Health, Ireland’s largest allied health services provider, and Kinesis Health Technologies, a University College Dublin medtech spin-out company.
The three Centres have been set-up to facilitate falls screenings for referrals from GP clinics and hospitals and for individuals who are themselves concerned about falling. The falls assessment is administered by a Chartered Physiotherapist who is specifically trained in the area of falls prevention.
The assessment itself is more accurate and reliable, providing only objective information and measures, using a best in class approach.
The three centres are based out of Physio Company clinics, which are part of Spectrum Health, located in Drumcondra and at IFSC in Dublin and in Dooradoyle, Limerick.
Each Centre will be fully equipped to provide an exact and quantitative evaluation of the many dimensions that make up a person’s propensity to trip and fall and will identify those at risk of falling. The Centres will also provide post-screening physiotherapy should it be required.
Early and targeted intervention, though exercise and Chartered Physiotherapy, have been shown to reduce falls in older people by up to 40%.
Falls Action uses Kinesis QTUG™ technology, which is a faster and more accurate method for assessing risk than many available. Traditional and common methods can be subjective in assessment and are based on opinion of the individual healthcare professional carrying out the assessment. Falls Action methods are objective as they provide a more accurate and quantifiable measure of someone’s risk of having a fall.
Falls in older adults are a major problem in Ireland, with an estimated 30% of adults over 65 falling each year. Incidence rates in hospitals are higher, and in long-term care settings approximately 30–50% of residents fall each year. In Ireland alone it is estimated that the annual healthcare costs associated with falls is €500 million and is expected to rise to €1 billion by 2020.
Anne McGoldrick, a Chartered Physiotherapist and Director of Medical Services, Falls Action and Spectrum Health said, “We can now offer a screening service with an immediate turnaround time for results as well as implementing a falls prevention strategy at point of assessment.”
She added, “Falls Action intends to announce two more Falls Action clinics in the coming months.”
Falls Action was set up to take a step-by-step proactive approach to identify individuals at risk of falling and facilitate early and targeted intervention. Since launching Falls Action has been available for on-site screenings in GP clinics and in residential care homes.
Click to englarge image.
Contact us for more details or visit the Falls Clinics page.