Posters for 3rd World Falls Congress 2026

Introduction Falls are a leading cause of Emergency Department (ED) attendance among older adults and are associated with recurrent visits and high healthcare costs. From January 2023 to December 2024, our ED at Tan Tock Seng Hospital received 3,632 patients aged ≥65 years with falls or falls-related injuries, with an estimated annual cost of SGD 20 million. Despite guideline recommendations for early identification and multifactorial intervention, ED implementation remains inconsistent with frequent re-attendance. Methods FIRST-FALL, implemented in July 2024, is a quality improvement

Introduction: Macclesfield Hospital has a busy trauma ward where the orthogeriatrics team primarily manages patients admitted with fractured neck of femur. We identified inconsistent communication of bone health management plans to community and rheumatology teams at discharge, particularly regarding zoledronic acid infusion dates and follow-up arrangements which posed a risk to continuity of care. A baseline audit reviewed three months of discharge summaries for patients aged over 65 admitted with fractured neck of femur, assessing documentation of FRAX score, vitamin D status, zoledronic

INTRODUCTION Falls represent a significant problem faced by older people, with around a third of people aged 65 and over, and half of those over 80 falling at least once a year. Falls can lead to serious injury, loss of independence, and significant emotional distress. The financial cost to the NHS is estimated as £2.3 billion annually, making fall prevention a crucial public health issue. National guidance (NICE, 2025) recommends Interventions such as fall’s prevention programmes should be offered targeting balance, co-ordination, strength and power. The planned community therapy team

Introduction: Falls are a prevalent issue impacting older people in care homes. Injuries can occur after a fall like fractures and there are many tools in use to manage patients who fall. However, few that focus on care home residents. Action Falls is a checklist that aids in diagnosing and highlighting risk of falls while providing healthcare professionals direct actions to take for prevention. Method: Interviews were conducted over 4 weeks via Microsoft Teams. 3 doctors from each of the specialties Orthopaedics, General Practice, Geriatrics and 4 Psychiatrists were participants to a total 13

Introduction Falls in older adults are a leading cause of injury, hospitalisation and loss of independence, with sarcopenia a major modifiable risk reduction factor. Acute illness and hospitalisation accelerate muscle loss, further increasing risk of falls. Adequate protein intake and resistance exercise are central to maintaining muscle mass and function. This systematic review examined how protein type, dose and timing affect muscle mass, strength and function in hospitalised or recently discharged older adults. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract Content - Background: Tandem stance is a key measure of static balance, yet existing tests often lack standardization, rely on ordinal scoring, and fail to account for upper-limb support, reducing accuracy and sensitivity. The SAS Mat was developed to address these limitations. The Mat can be used as the SAS Measure of tandem balance, and as a balance training tool. This study evaluated its test–retest reliability, convergent validity, acceptability, and feasibility in healthy older adults. Methods: A convenience sample of 44 community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years, with independent

Background: Long-term adherence to exercise and digital health interventions is critical but remains a major challenge, particularly among older people. While balance exercise is effective in preventing falls, little is known about how older people engage with such programs over time, and what drives sustained adherence. Methods: We analysed adherence data from 511 community-living older people who participated in a home-based digital balance exercise program for 52 weeks. Participants were prescribed two hours of exercise per week, with progressive weekly targets and adherence automatically

Introduction The World Falls Guidelines introduced an algorithm for clinical practitioners to assess risk of falls in older adults. Digital tools can provide a way for people to self-assess, but for such tools to be successful they need to be co-designed with the people who are likely to use them. This project involved the co-design of a digital prototype to self-assess falls risk and be directed towards appropriate local support within one NHS board in Scotland, UK. Method Our overall approach was qualitative, participatory research. Participants were recruited through local third sector

Background Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is an uncommon but life-threatening complication of necrotising otitis externa, typically affecting older adults with diabetes. Presentation is often non-specific, and diagnosis is frequently delayed. Case An 84-year-old man with type 1 diabetes, vascular comorbidity and advanced frailty presented with a fall preceded by dizziness on standing. He reported a 6-month history of recurrent falls and severe postural light-headedness. For 3 months, he had persistent right-sided otalgia and offensive otorrhoea treated in primary care with repeated courses of

Introduction Injurious falls are common, especially amongst adults older than 65. World and UK guidance recommend adopting a multifactorial approach to falls prevention, and there are tools that can support practitioners to address multiple falls risks. Many of these risks can be addressed through simple, practical actions (e.g., removing trip hazards, checking suitability of footwear). Social prescribing practitioners (SPPs) provide patients with non-clinical practical and emotional support in the community and are well-positioned to prevent falls. To our knowledge, no effective, evidence

Introduction There are numerous risk factors for falling in older adults, and world and UK guidance advocate adopting a multifactorial approach to falls prevention. Many falls risks can be addressed through actions for which clinical training is not required (e.g., removing trip hazards or providing advice about footwear). Patients’ access to falls prevention could be improved by supporting non-clinicians to use a standardised approach to identify risks and preventative actions. We aimed to identify risks and actions described in the published literature that could be incorporated into a novel

Background Falls are a common reason for Emergency Department (ED) attendance in older adults and are closely associated with frailty, functional decline, and recurrent healthcare utilisation. The Emergency Department in the Home (EDITH) service delivers acute medical and occupational therapy (OT) assessment in the person’s home, aiming to avoid unnecessary hospital attendance. Embedded OT assessment within EDITH provides a valuable opportunity to review underlying falls risks within the home environment, even when falls are not the primary reason for referral. This audit reviews OT

Background: The Emergency Department in the Home (EDITH) service delivers urgent medical and occupational therapy (OT) assessment and intervention within older adults’ homes, offering alternatives to hospital conveyance. Falls account for approximately 22% of monthly referrals to EDITH. From an OT perspective, alignment with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Falls Guidelines 2025 is essential for comprehensive falls management. This review assesses EDITH practice against four OT-relevant quality markers: frailty assessment, home environment assessment, cognitive

Introduction Management of fragility fractures was estimated to have cost the NHS £4.4 billion in 2022. As the incidence of fragility fracture is predicted to rise along with the increase in population over age 65 in the UK, primary prevention is a necessary avenue to reduce its economic, social, and environmental impacts. Current best practice in the UK suggests that any female aged over 65 and male over 75 is at high risk of osteoporosis and should be assessed for the need for prevention of fragility fractures, including a QFracture 10-year risk calculation. Management for those identified

Introduction: The onset and coexistence of chronic diseases during aging are associated with adverse outcomes, including disability, restriction of social participation, and falls. Although chronological age is often treated as a confounding variable in epidemiological models, evidence remains limited on how multimorbidity patterns are structured across different age groups. This study aimed to identify clusters of multimorbidity and examine their associations with disability in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), restriction of social participation, and falls across age groups

Introduction: Bilateral vestibulopathy (bilateral loss of vestibular function; BVP) significantly impairs balance, leading to an elevated falls risk. Age, balance performance and concerns about falling may further exacerbate these issues. This study describes fall incidence characteristics among people with BVP and relates these to age, concern about falling and objective balance performance. Method: 51 participants with BVP completed a standardised 12-month fall history questionnaire, the Falls Efficacy Scale–International (FES-I) and the Mini-BESTest to collect data on fall incidents, causes

Stair-related falls remain a major contributor to slip, trip and fall (STF) incidents across the built environment, representing a significant public health, legal, and economic challenge. Epidemiological data consistently show that stairs are a high-risk transitional element within buildings, with injuries frequently resulting from a combination of geometric inconsistency, inadequate visual definition, insufficient slip resistance, and suboptimal user support. This paper synthesises established research, regulatory guidance, and applied industry knowledge to examine the principal design and

Introduction: Sarcopenia is recognized as a correlate of ageing and is associated with increased likelihood of adverse outcomes such as decreased mobility, impaired standing balance, functional decline, Falls and Frailty. To address age related Sarcopenia, an MDT clinic was established in Rumailah hospital which brought expertise from Geriatricians, Physiotherapists and Clinical Dietitians. Methods: The Sarcopenia clinic enrolled older adults (>60 years) in the and assessments included SARC-F, handgrip dynamometry, frailty measurements, SPPB, TUG, and BIA. Interventions comprised CGA

Introduction Inpatient falls occur frequently with over 27,000 falls reported in Scottish hospitals annually (1). Inpatient falls can lead to adverse health-related outcomes and increased healthcare-related spending in older people. A thorough post falls assessment, as recommended by The World Falls Guidelines Task Force, is vital to characterise the fall and any preceding factors, ensure injuries are not missed and prevent further falls (2). Structuring medical records can improve patient outcomes and doctors’ performance (3). Our overall aim was to improve inpatient falls assessment and

Abstract Delirium is a frequent complication in elderly patients and is often multifactorial, with electrolyte imbalances representing a major contributor. While sodium, potassium, and calcium disorders are commonly evaluated, hypomagnesemia is an overlooked but clinically significant cause of both neurological and cardiac manifestations. Magnesium is essential for neuronal stability, neurotransmitter regulation, and calcium channel modulation. Its deficiency can lead to neuropsychiatric symptoms, arrhythmias, and myocardial injury. We report the case of an 81-year-old woman who presented with