Posters

Introduction 83 yo male who presented to hospital following 2 falls within a week. He had a background history of hiatus hernia. He was independent of all activities of daily living residing in sheltered, warden controlled accommodation. Upon presentation to hospital he given antibiotics for chest infection and had a mild acute kidney injury. His electrocardiogram showed a 2:1 AV block and he was transferred to a tertiary centre for a pacemaker Upon return to hospital he had a period of significant deconditioning coupled with orthostatic hypotension which hampered his ongoing rehabilitation

Introduction Strength and balance training are effective components of falls prevention. However, primary prevention often fails to reach those at highest risk, partly because individuals may not perceive a need to engage in preventive measures. Secondary prevention may overcome this barrier, as a recent severe fall, such as one requiring emergency department (ED) treatment, can heighten the perceived need for action. Nonetheless, implementing falls prevention into standard care poses challenges, such as adoption and adherence. This study aims to explore barriers and facilitators influencing

Background Myeloma is a condition of predominantly older adults. Treatment typically includes long term dexamethasone which affects bone health, nutrition and muscle integrity. Myeloma also causes secondary osteoporosis and lytic lesions. No previous studies describe falls risk factors in this cohort. We explore this and associations with frailty status in a tertiary joint Geriatrician & Haematologist Myeloma clinic. Methods 55 older adults (>65 years) completed a survey about balance concerns (Q1), fear of falling (Q2), falls in last year (Q3) and previous fractures (Q4), age and frailty

Falls are a leading cause of injury and disability in older adults. Yet, knowledge about their real-world patterns is still limited, despite successful efforts such as recorded videos of falls in long-term care residences (Robinovitch et al, Lancet, 2013) and recorded kinematics of falls using a single IMU sensor worn on the lower back (Farseeing project and related dataset, Klenk et al, Eur Rev Aging Phys Act, 2016). Still, no data on falls recorded with more than one sensor worn on multiple positions are available in the literature. During the DARE FALLSPREDICT-GP study (ongoing study in

Background Data has identified that the physiotherapy caseload on admission to an acute Older Persons Unit (OPU) is becoming more challenging over time. Admission Elderly Mobility Scores (EMS) have significantly reduced, patients require more physical assistance, and the ongoing shift in hospital focus from patient rehabilitation to patient flow alongside a stronger discharge to assess initiative has increased patient turnover. This has resulted in more demand for initial assessments, and higher numbers of rehabilitation patients being prioritised out due to team capacity. To counteract this

Introduction: Balance training is an evidence-based fall prevention intervention, and optimal dosage parameters (frequency, intensity, type, time) are essential for effectiveness in adults with balance impairments and fall risk. Evidence is limited on the dosage parameters clinicians use in practice. This study’s purpose was to determine the time spent in active exercise and balance-specific activities during routine physical therapy and examine if any patient characteristics predict time spent exercising. Methods: Trained researchers conducted real-time naturalistic observations of 135

Introduction Older people who suffer a fall and long lie present a significant challenge to the pre-hospital and front door services. The guidance and definition are controversial with little evidence on the incidence and complications of long lie. There is limited data on reliable lie times which are usually unrecorded and hard to collate. To address this, we did a study on assessment and management of falls, long lie and rhabdomyolysis in a single tertiary centre. Methods A retrospective case note review of patients aged over 80 who attended the emergency department acutely with a fall and

Introduction: There are over 80 physiotherapists at Auckland City hospital working across several in-patient areas including acute medical, surgical, stroke/ neurology, orthopaedics, and geriatric rehabilitation. The physiotherapy team plays a huge role in the assessment, treatment, and management of vulnerable fall’s risk patients. Since 2018 the physiotherapy team had not reviewed key performance indicators (KPIs) in relation to best practice in falls assessment and management. With the release of the World Guidelines (1) for fall prevention, it was timely and important to review our KPIs

Introduction Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a common, under-recognised, and potentially reversible cause of falls in older adults. Older patients admitted under surgical specialties following falls frequently have frailty, polypharmacy, and high anticholinergic burden (ACB), predisposing them to OH and recurrent falls. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, Royal College of Physicians (RCP) recommendations, and the National Audit of Inpatient Falls advocate routine lying and standing blood pressure (LSBP) measurement as part of comprehensive falls assessment

Introduction Exercise-based fall-prevention programmes effectively reduce falls among community-dwelling older adults; however, sustaining these initiatives remains a persistent challenge. Programme sustainability is critical for optimizing resources, maintaining community trust, and achieving lasting population-level benefits. This scoping review examined factors influencing the sustainability of community-based fall-prevention exercise programmes using the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool (PSAT). Methods A scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and

Introduction: Gait variability is a crucial indicator for dynamic stability and fall risk. However, inherent sensitivity to outliers can compromise measurement reliability of standard variability metrics like the Coefficient of Variation (CV), especially when applied to the "messy," non-normal data in free-living environments. The objective of the study is to validate a robust, non-parametric alternative — the Robust Coefficient of Variation using Median Absolute Deviation (RCV-MAD) — to ensure clinically reliable remote monitoring. Methods: We analysed datasets collected in controlled lab

Introduction The GRACE initiative was a pilot designed to enhance inpatient experience of older adults. Proportionate moving and handling techniques were introduced as well as increasing the number of therapy staff on a ward reducing reliance on multiple staff for routine ward care. We aimed to improve patients’ functional independence and prevent deconditioning. Methods A ward of 26 patients was chosen with a control comparison and nursing staff were upskilled in proportionate manual handling. For 4 weeks, therapy staffing was increased from 2 therapists to 4 and patients given additional

Introduction. Inpatient falls are the most common patient safety incident. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises falls as a significant public health issue and highlights the need for coordinated, evidence-based prevention strategies, including staff training. A multifactorial approach—including fall risk assessment, engagement of staff and patients, environmental modifications, and implementation of preventive measures—significantly reduces fall rates when combined with training activities. Studies have shown that e-learning-based training for healthcare professionals improves

Introduction Falls are a major concern in our ageing society. General exercise interventions like strength and balance training show limited community-wide impact due to poor adherence and low dose. Task-specific interventions such as perturbation-based balance training and gait adaptability training have demonstrated great effectiveness, targeting distinct fall-resisting skills: proactive gait adaptability (PGA), gait robustness (GR), and reactive gait recovery (RGR). This study protocol investigates whether task-specific training of one of the three fall-resisting skills leads to

Introduction Training fall-resisting skills can prevent falls in older adults. These skills include proactive gait adaptability, gait robustness, and reactive gait recovery, which allow people to effectively avoid, resist, and recover from balance threats, respectively.This pilot study guided the design of an RCT of fall-resisting skills training by investigating older adults’ perceptions of the training and their own stability. The aims were 1) explore older adults’ perceptions of stability during walking perturbations related to gait researcher observations; 2) investigate how task

Introduction People with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) are at significantly increased risk of falling due to gait and balance impairments. Notably, reactive balance, which is essential for adequate motor responses to external perturbations, is particularly affected in this population. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) specifically addresses this issue and has been shown to reduce fall rates by up to 50% in fall-prone older adults. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of treadmill-based PBT in PwPD. Method In this randomized controlled trial, 90 PwPD (40

At least 60% of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) will fall every year and nearly 70% fall recurrently, many as often as several times a day or week. Identifying those most at risk for recurrent falls is key to improving tailored fall prevention interventions for people with PD. This study investigated the relationship between recurrent falls, clinical characteristics, and PD subtypes using a novel PD subtyping scheme. Participants from the WashU Movement Disorders Research Group with idiopathic PD, at least one complete fall report, and a Clinical Dementia Rating < 1 at baseline were

INTRODUCTION: The NHS 10-year plan ethos is providing care that is fit for the future. Healthcare interventions delivered in the community offer an opportunity for health equity that can lead to sustainable social change, delivering an outward-facing approach and community-centred care. More work is needed to develop tailored healthcare interventions suitable for ethnic minorities to effectively address their needs. This review is component one of a wider PhD study that aimed to develop and establish principles for delivering health interventions to ethnic minorities in the community using

Background: Malaysia is projected to become an aged nation by 2030, with adults aged ≥60 years comprising approximately 15.3% of the population. As population ageing accelerates, primary care must address age-related conditions, including falls, which are a major cause of morbidity and functional decline among older adults. Recurrent falls represent a key opportunity for prevention, as they reflect underlying, modifiable risk factors. In Kuala Lumpur primary healthcare clinic, we assess the risks of fall and manage it with a multidisciplinary team comprising of staff nurses, medical assistants

Introduction: We designed the PaddleTrip treadmill, equipped with rotating paddles, to induce trip-like perturbations. This study aimed to determine whether this PaddleTrip treadmill can generate realistic obstacle‑induced trips. Methods: Twenty healthy adults (38.3 ± 16.7 years; range: 21–72) fitted with a fall-arrest harness completed three walking‑perturbation conditions in random order: (A) PaddleTrip treadmill, (B) 8‑m walkway with two concealed trip boards, and (C) surface‑perturbation treadmill (12 m/s²; M‑Gait). The PaddleTrip treadmill and walkway condition included four trips