Posters for 3rd World Falls Congress 2026

Introduction Falls are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and loss of independence in adults aged ≥65 years. World Health Organization (WHO) guidance recommends a comprehensive, multidisciplinary falls assessment within 48 hours of admission; however, adherence remains variable. Incomplete assessment risks missed reversible factors and recurrent falls. This quality improvement project (QIP) aimed to evaluate and improve the completeness of falls assessment across two acute Care of the Elderly units. Method A two-cycle Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) QIP was conducted across Care of the Elderly

Introduction Cardiac arrythmias are a known cause of falls. The World Falls Guideline advocates initial cardiac assessment with 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), and further monitoring if no abnormalities are detected but history suggests syncope. The falls MDT clinic includes assessment by a nurse, physiotherapist, and pharmacist. This information is discussed with a geriatric consultant the following week for decision regarding medical review. Historically, following ECG and assessment the decision about further monitoring was made later by the consultant. This led to delays in diagnosis

Introduction The age-related physical and cognitive decline increases the risk for severe bicycle accidents in older adults and warrants effective training interventions to improve safe cycling skills. This study investigates potential transfer effects of a perturbation-based, hands-free bicycling training program on cycling skills and overall balance control in older adults. Methods BiPerAge is a bicentric project (Duration: 2024-2027), combining the expertise in cycling interventions of the Department of Physical Therapy, Ben-Gurion University Israel and the Institute for Biomedicine of

Introduction: Falls are a major clinical problem, and frequently associated with sensory and motor disturbances in the foot and ankle, such as peripheral neuropathy and altered gait biomechanics. In people with diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy is a predictor of falls. However, within this population, it is unknown which characteristics are associated with falls. Our aim was to determine fall incidence and its association with physical activity and gait quality characteristics in people with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy. Methods: In a prospective longitudinal observational study

Background: Low-energy falls represent the predominant mechanism of major trauma in older adults, yet they remain inadequately recognised within existing trauma triage frameworks. We sought to quantify mortality and adverse clinical outcomes following low-energy falls in this population. Methods: We performed a systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines, searching MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and grey literature sources from database inception through December 2024. Eligible studies included adults aged 65 years or older who sustained low-energy falls resulting in major trauma

INTRODUCTION: Falls represent one of the most significant safety concerns for hospitalized older adults, contributing to increased morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and healthcare costs. This clinical audit evaluated the effectiveness of fall risk assessment and prevention strategies for patients aged 65 years and older admitted to St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, during the audit period. METHODS: A retrospective clinical audit was conducted examining medical records and incident reports for older adult inpatients at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny.The audit examined compliance with fall risk

Introduction Falls are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. Medications, known as falls risk increasing drugs (FRIDs), significantly contribute to this risk. Several tools are available to support structured medication review for FRIDs. In the acute hospital setting, the standard of medication reviews and consistency of documentation can vary, with little consideration to FRIDs. This can result in an undressed key component of falls risk reduction. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacy-led FRIDs review process by improving documentation

Background: Inpatient falls among older adults remain a major patient safety concern, contributing to morbidity, prolonged length of stay, and increased healthcare costs. Frailty is increasingly recognised as a key determinant of adverse inpatient outcomes. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a rapid, widely used frailty assessment tool; however, its relationship with inpatient falls risk has not been systematically evaluated. Objective: To systematically review and synthesise the evidence on the association between Clinical Frailty Scale scores and falls risk in hospitalized older adults

"The ground was just gone": a qualitative study of experiences of Charles Bonnet Syndrome and its impact on falls Background Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) refers to visual hallucinations that can occur following any degree of vision loss. Vision impairment is an established risk factor for falls but the contribution of CBS to fall risk and susceptibility to falls-related variables such as concern about falling, is unclear. The present study explored experiences of CBS from different perspectives to understand its impact on falls. Methods Seventeen older adults living with CBS (mean age=76

Introduction: Falls are a leading cause of injury, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life among older adults. While health professionals play a central role in falls prevention through clinical practice, their contribution through professional volunteering remains underexplored. Volunteering offers dual benefits: it enhances community access to falls‑prevention initiatives and supports volunteers’ own physical, social, and cognitive wellbeing—key determinants of healthy ageing. This study synthesises evidence on health professionals’ volunteering and examines its potential as an

Introduction: Perspectives of older people must be considered when designing falls prevention interventions. Co-design methodology encourages active engagement with end-knowledge users. MOVE Together: Reduce Falls is a co-designed intervention to promote participation in falls prevention exercise among older people from Italian, Chinese and Arabic speaking communities. Implementability needs to be considered while designing interventions. Our study explored implementability of the MOVE Together: Reduce Falls intervention at prototype testing phase. Methods: This mixed methods study explored

Introduction Falls in older adults are multifactorial, with orthostatic hypotension recognised as a key modifiable risk factor. Lying and standing blood pressure (LSBP) measurement is used to identify this. This study aimed to assess whether LSBP assessment in patients reviewed by the acute frailty team prompted medication optimisation and reduced fall-related hospital readmissions over 12 months. Methods A retrospective study was conducted at a district general hospital involving patients reviewed by the acute frailty team between 2023-2024. A total of 2,631 patients with Clinical Frailty

Introduction: Balance can be described as how the body is controlled relative to the base of support (BOS) formed by the feet . Recently, a 2D model of the functional BOS (fBOS), above which we can manipulate functional forces (>40% body weight), considerably improved the BOS estimate (Millard+Sloot2025). However, young people showed a large variation in fBOS area (9-36% of the foot), representing differences in either balance ability or task execution. This study examined whether task execution (fear and motivation) influence the measured fBOS area and fBOS repeatability. Methods: Ten young

Introduction: Exercise-based programmes reduce falls in older adults, yet adherence is often suboptimal. There is evidence to support the use of motivational interviewing (MI) for strengthening motivation for behaviour change; but its additive benefit with exercise for falls prevention remains unclear. This systematic review examined whether exercise and MI improve falls-related outcomes among older adults. Method: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science and EMBASE were searched from inception to September 2025. Randomised and non-randomised controlled trials were eligible if MI was

Introduction Falls are the leading cause of injury-related mortality and hospitalization in older adults and are frequently related to medication use. In the AD FICE_IT study, we examine the effectiveness of a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for optimizing medication use and reducing fall risk increasing drugs (FRIDs). We describe the study design and present preliminary findings on physicians’ satisfaction with the CDSS. Methods To evaluate the effect of the CDSS on time to first injurious fall, a multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in nine Dutch hospitals

Introduction: Fall prevention exercise programs are available to community-dwelling Canadians aged 50+ through diverse organizational models that vary in how they meet criteria to effectively prevent falls. Context, the unique combination of characteristics and circumstances in which a program is embedded, is essential for understanding program delivery and guiding adaptation. Our objective is to describe and compare the implementation contexts of four Canadian community fall prevention group exercise programs. Methods: Data gathered from each program included organizational documents, key

Introduction Most hip fractures follow a fall. NOGG guidance recommends IV zoledronate first-line post hip fracture. Following a 2023 British Isles consensus statement, zoledronate is increasingly given to patients with renal impairment. This service evaluation assessed the safety of post-hip fracture IV zoledronate given in renal impairment. Method In a retrospective cohort study of sequential hip fracture admissions over 6-months, data were extracted from electronic medical records using a standardised template, regarding acute phase reaction (APR) and acute kidney injury (AKI). APR was

Background Falls are a common presentation within frailty services and frequently coexist with multimorbidity, polypharmacy and cognitive impairment. The Elderly Care Assessment Service (ECAS) at St David’s Hospital, Cardiff, assesses patients with frailty syndromes using comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) delivered by a multidisciplinary team. Physiotherapy-led functional measures inform falls risk and rehabilitation planning; however, medication-related vulnerability, particularly anticholinergic burden, may contribute to falls risk through mechanisms not fully captured by functional

Introduction 210,000 emergency admissions were related to falls in people aged 65 and over in England 2022/2023 1. Many falls in older people are preventable. New NICE guidance NG249, highlighted the need for patient education, recommending that clinicians ‘discuss ways that people can reduce their risk of falls as well as improving their overall wellbeing, and provide information that they can take away’ 2 The Older Persons Assessment and Liaison service (OPAL) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, provides an acute assessment service to frail older adults presenting in the emergency

Introduction: The benefits of physical activity to maintain independence into older age are well understood, but the challenge for health professionals is ensuring interventions are sustainable. The East Sussex Community Falls Team uses a multifactorial assessment with emphasis on strength and balance exercises to improve quality of life and reduce risk of falls. A considerable number of clients who had received strength and balance exercises were re-referred with falls and declining mobility within 2 years. Engagement with previously provided exercises had ceased. The aim of this quality