Posters for 3rd World Falls Congress 2026

Up to 50% of people aged 60 and over have concerns about falling; concern about falling is a clear predictor of future falls in older adults. Addressing patients’ concerns about falling is a crucial component of falls assessment and management. The World Falls Guidelines 2022 recommend evaluation of concerns, management with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and consideration of specialist referral. The NICE Falls Guideline 2025 recommends exploration of concerns plus CBT interventions for patients who are not helped by strength and balance exercises. Previously, patients with Concerns about

Abstract Content : An overview of the Dementia UK Consultant Admiral Nurse service supporting families affected by frailty and dementia Introduction: Emerging and increasing frailty often goes unidentified, and families living with dementia and frailty are missing vital opportunities to receive the right support at the right time. People living with frailty are less able to adapt to stress factors such as acute illness, injury, or changes in their environment, personal or social circumstances, leading to adverse health outcomes and an earlier loss of independence. Method: We have developed a

Background and Aim: Concerns (or “fears”) about falling are common in older adults and people with clinical balance disorders. Experimental and epidemiological evidence indicates that these concerns can disrupt balance and increase fall risk. Although various evidence-based guidelines exist to address concerns about falling (e.g., World Falls Guidelines), anecdotal evidence suggests limited uptake in clinical practice. This programme of research aimed to (i) identify gaps and barriers in the clinical management of concerns about falling, and (ii) identify practical, evidence-based intervention

Introduction: Exergames combine physical exercise with interactive digital gameplay and are increasingly incorporated into fall-prevention programmes for older adults. By integrating gamified features such as real-time feedback, goal setting, and progress tracking, exergames may enhance motivation, engagement, and adherence to exercise. Despite growing interest, the effectiveness of exergaming interventions in reducing falls and fall-related injuries, as well as key implementation outcomes including adherence, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness, has not been comprehensively synthesised

Introduction: Traditional fall risk assessments are predominantly conducted in controlled clinical settings, often failing to capture the complex interaction between an individual’s gait and real-world environmental stressors. Current predictive models largely ignore extrinsic factors, such as surface irregularities or visual distractions. The ongoing BE-FIT project aims to bridge this gap by validating a novel, ecological fall risk prediction score that integrates intrinsic biomechanical markers with extrinsic built environment features. Methods: This ongoing study analyzes data from a

Introduction: Fear of falling is common among older adults and is linked to adverse outcomes, including activity restriction, reduced autonomy, and poorer quality of life. Its management is challenging due to the high burden of multimorbidity, which can heighten perceptions of vulnerability and increase fear of falling, affecting social participation. The objective was to investigate relationships between fear of falling, multimorbidity, and social participation among older adults in Primary Health Care. Methods: Study was conducted with 175 older adults evaluated in primary care services in a

Introduction: Falls are a major concern in later life, yet how fall patterns evolve over time, and whether these patterns differ between women and men, remains poorly understood. This study investigated sex-specific fall trajectories over three years among generally healthy European older adults and identified baseline self-reported factors associated with higher-risk trajectories. Method: We conducted a secondary analysis of DO-HEALTH, a multicenter randomized controlled trial enrolling community-dwelling adults aged ≥70 years across seven European sites. Participants reported falls every

Mobilisation alarms are commonly used in hospital settings as a means to reduce falls, making up 11% of resources consumed to prevent hospital falls. However, recent trials have concluded that use of mobilisation alarms may be a form of low-value care. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised and non-randomised trials. Search strategy: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus with additional reference list and Google Scholar searching. Screening and data extraction undertaken by two independent reviewers. Risk of bias assessment: ROB-II for RCTs and ROBINS-I for non-RCTs

Objective The incidence of “mild” traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in patients is increasing due to a growing number of older persons. Protective responses during falls are less effective in older adults than in younger individuals, resulting in a higher risk of unprotected head impacts. Methods This prospective cohort study offered patients with mTBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score 13–15) an in-depth interview and a comprehensive assessment to identify modifiable risk factors and understand causal pathways. Potentially problematic medications, environmental risk factors, and deficits in vision

Background: Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) is an emerging, task-specific approach to falls prevention in older adults and has shown promising results on preventing falls and improving (reactive) balance. However, its feasibility is insufficiently studied, as previous research often excluded clinical groups. This study aims to quantitatively assess whether PBT can be implemented in a heterogeneous population. Methods: Participants from the ongoing iSeFallED study, which recruits older adults in the emergency department following a fall, were offered four PBT sessions on a

Background: The first culturally appropriate PA strategies for older Chinese adults in the UK were developed using evidence, qualitative interviews, the Behaviour Change Wheel, and the person-based approach, and their feasibility and acceptability will be assessed. Methods/Design: This was a two-arm randomised controlled feasibility trial. Thirty UK-dwelling Chinese adults aged ≥60 years who did not meet WHO PA recommendations were randomised to the PA strategies or the WHO PA leaflet group. Primary outcomes were feasibility metrics, including recruitment, retention, adherence, data

Introduction Reduced stepping performance is a key modifiable risk factor for falls in older adults with dementia. While step training is effective in healthy older populations, its feasibility and efficacy have not been established for individuals with dementia. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and potential effects of a step training program in a preliminary sample of community-dwelling older adults with mild dementia. Methods In this pre-post intervention study, 31 older adults with mild dementia participated in a structured step training program (2 times per week, 30-min

Background: Falls pose a considerable public health threat driven by population ageing and causing a substantial health burden among adults aged 65 and over. However, there is still limited evidence on the population-based costs caused by falls. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the incremental healthcare cost of falls among older adults in Belgium. Methods: Data from the Belgian health interview surveys (BHIS) and the Inter Mutualistic Agency (IMA) were used. The BHIS included a population-based sample of the Belgian population and provides information on health status, healthcare use

Introduction This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of self-administered balance and gait assessments, conducted using a guiding smartphone application, in distinguishing recurrent fallers from non-fallers. Method Thirty-nine older adults (mean age=71.1±5.7 years; recurrent fallers=17, non-fallers=22) independently completed 30-second feet-together and tandem standing tests, as well as a 6-minute walking assessment, using the smartphone application. Participants performed the tests twice in the laboratory and twice at home, wearing the smartphone on their waist during all assessments

Falls are a major cause of injury and disabilityamong older adults. People with cardiovascular disease (CVD) areat higher risk of falling. Rural areas in China face challenges in fallprevention due to limited resources. Village doctors may play a key role in deliveringfeasible, low-cost interventions.

Background: Gait speed is included in the World Falls Guidelines (WFG) fall risk algorithm, yet its ability to discriminate fallers from non-fallers remains unclear. This individual participant data meta-analysis examined the discriminative ability of the WFG-recommended cut point (<0.8m/s) and the performance of a higher cut point (<1.0m/s) for predicting falls in community-dwelling older adults and clinical populations. Methods: Individual data from 28 studies with a quantitative measure of gait speed and at least three months of prospectively reported falls were analysed using modified

ABSTRACT Introduction Falls and fall-induced injury are major public health concerns. In Chinese rural older adults, physical activity (PA) levels correlate with falls, but with varying effects. This study examined the effects of a fall prevention intervention, primarily consisted of balance and functional exercises, on falls and fall-induced injury among rural Chinese older adults with various PA levels. Methods This post-hoc analysis was based on the FAMILY cluster randomized trial in 128 rural Chinese villages. The intervention group received balance and functional exercises with community

Introduction Falls are a major public health concern in ageing populations. Older adults with multiple long-term conditions are especially vulnerable to falls because of complex and overlapping health needs. We evaluated the effects of a primary care–integrated fall-prevention program on falls among rural Chinese older adults with multiple long-term conditions. Methods This secondary analysis was based on the FAMILY trial, an open-label, cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 128 rural villages in China. Community-dwelling adults aged 60 years or older with a history of falls or

Background Exercise participation is central to fall prevention in older adults, yet readiness to engage in exercise programs may be influenced by health and psychosocial factors beyond falls history alone. Understanding these influences is essential for designing effective, person-centered community interventions. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among community-dwelling older adults attending activity centers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Readiness to participate in exercise programs was assessed using the six dimensions of the Community Readiness Model framework and analysed

Introduction Falls are frequent amongst people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP), and increase as disease progresses. Exercise can reduce falls, but rates remain high and exercise alone is ineffective in people with more advanced disease. Personalised multidomain fall prevention programs delivered by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians may be more effective. This study explored the acceptability of a multidomain fall prevention program ( Integrate) for PwP who fell recurrently and their care-partners, and factors influencing engagement. Methods This qualitative study used inductive thematic