Posters

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 Primary care has a central role in dementia risk reduction, early recognition, cognitive assessment, referral, and longitudinal care. However, dementia-related work in primary care is constrained by limited consultation time, variable clinician confidence, fragmented pathways, and unequal access to specialist input. Digital tools, clinician education, and service-redesign interventions have been proposed to strengthen dementia care in this setting. We aimed to systematically review completed intervention studies evaluating digital, educational, screening, blended, or service-based

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

Introduction Previous quality improvement work in our acute frailty service has focused on improving rates of bone health assessments. Here we examine the outcomes of these assessments. Method Data on bone health assessments were collected retrospectively using electronic health records for patients admitted to Frailty Same Day Emergency Care unit (FSDEC; n=118) and Acute Senior Health Unit (ASHU; n=107) over 2 months. Data collected included whether patients had presented with a fall, had a bone health assessment completed, and the outcome of any assessment. Results 50% of patients seen in

Introduction. The Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) is an advance care planning tool used to ensure that patients receive care in line with their preferences and medical needs (Resuscitation Council UK, 2025). Over 2024/2025 DNACPR (Do-Not-Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) forms were replaced with ReSPECT at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH). ReSPECT is now the sole documentation method for resuscitation decisions at NUH in adults. This is a significant change, so this qualitative study aimed to identify what worked well and what could be improved

Introduction: ReSPECT (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment) forms should contain personalised recommendations for a person’s future clinical care. Our project assessed the quality of ReSPECT forms and attempted to understand the training resident doctors received and their confidence completing forms. Method: A scoring system out of 9 was created to assess the quality of ResPECT forms. The system assessed factors including legibility, patient and family involvement and mental capacity assessments. It also covered the clarity of documentation around resuscitation

Introduction: Stair falls frequently occur during the transition from level walking to stair descent. Laboratory research indicates that the demands of transition steps are different to continuous descent, yet these findings have not been confirmed in home environments where most falls occur. Using instrumented insoles in naturalistic experimental homes, this early-translational study quantified biomechanical differences between transitional and continuous descent and explored the influence of lighting conditions. Method: Five participants descended a 14-step staircase in an experimental home

Introduction Falls are common high-impact problems in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), posing risks of injury, functional decline, and reduced quality of life. Although many countries have issued falls prevention guidelines for RACFs, their implementation in routine care remains challenging. We address this gap by presenting the development of a multifaceted plan aimed at supporting systematic implementation of a falls prevention guideline in RACFs. Methods The implementation plan was developed within the context of a large-scale falls prevention implementation project in Flanders

1. Introduction Falls among older people are a major public health concern, with one-third of individuals aged 65 and over experiencing at least one fall annually in the Netherlands. In 2023, a national chain approach to falls prevention was introduced to improve identification of older adults at risk of falling and reduce the incidence of fall-related injuries. The chain approach is comprised of four steps: 1) identifying older adults at risk of falling, 2) investigating individual fall risk factors, 3) participating in a falls prevention intervention, and 4) continuing regular physical

Introduction: Virtual wards have been increasingly implemented across the NHS to manage older people living with frailty in their own homes amid rising inpatient pressures. As this care model expands, it’s essential to determine whether virtual wards yield outcomes comparable to those of traditional inpatient care. This review aims to assess the success of virtual wards across key outcome domains. Methods: A literature review of ten studies published between 2014 and 2025 was conducted using electronic databases with relevant keywords. Studies examined multiple aspects of virtual wards

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also known as Horton’s disease - a large‑vessel vasculitis characterized by granulomatous inflammation of medium and large-sized arteries - is the most common primary systemic vasculitis in adults over the age of 50 . It shows a strong predilection for women, particularly those of Northern European ancestry. The classical presentation includes new‑onset headache, scalp tenderness, jaw claudication and visual disturbance, though the clinical spectrum is heterogeneous and may overlap with other conditions common in older adults . Delayed diagnosis of giant cell

Introduction A Quality Improvement Project on UHCW’s largest Care of the Elderly ward, aiming to reduce deconditioning, by using intra-MDT education to improve the proportion of patients sitting out in a chair. Method We measured the proportion of patients who sat out in a chair across five weekdays. We did this by: 1) Observing the number of patients sat out, 2) Discussing with nursing/HCA staff whether patients had sat out and if not, the reason why and 3) Reviewing medical/nursing/physio documentation. We also reviewed baseline mobility, to understand what proportion of our patients we

Introduction High quality end of life (EOL) care is essential to ensure comfort, dignity, effective symptom control, and care aligned with patient wishes. The West Midlands Palliative Care guidelines emphasise early recognition of dying, anticipatory prescribing, communication with patients and families, deprescribing non-essential medications, and individualised care planning. Delayed recognition of dying and inconsistent documentation may negatively affect patient-centred care. `To evaluate whether EOL care within an elderly care unit was delivered in accordance with West Midlands Palliative

Introduction Free-living gait assessment for fall risk in Parkinson’s disease (PD) often uses inertial measurement units (IMUs) to extract gait characteristics. However, IMU-only approaches lack environmental and behavioural context, which can lead to inflated estimates of fall risk when gait changes are driven by extrinsic factors e.g., obstacles. We combine IMUs with wearable eye-tracking video glasses and AI-based computer vision (CV) to enrich free-living gait assessment with environmental and gaze information, enabling a robust interpretation of fall risk. Methods Seven individuals with

Introduction: Falls are a leading cause of injury and loss of independence among older adults, with a particularly high prevalence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Indonesia. Although exercise-based fall prevention programmes are effective globally, few have been contextually adapted or tested in LMIC settings. This study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of a contextually adapted fall prevention exercise programme incorporating behaviour change support for community-dwelling older adults in Indonesia. Method: A two-arm feasibility randomised controlled

Background: Turning difficulties are a disabling motor symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD), often contributing to falls and reduced mobility. Despite their clinical significance, turning problems remain challenging to manage, with current interventions offering limited and inconsistent benefits. Pharmacological treatments rarely address complex gait impairments such as turning, while rehabilitation strategies - physiotherapy and cueing - show promise but vary widely in application and effectiveness. Understanding how these approaches are perceived and implemented in practice is essential for

Background: Frail patients are at risk of post-operative orthostatic hypotension. Measuring lying and standing blood pressure (LSBP) is a key part of comprehensive post-operative geriatric assessment. Method: Three cycles of data were collected from the National Hip Fracture Database on patients with neck of femur fractures at Leeds General Infirmary. Each cycle was discussed at local governance meetings, followed by implementation of novel interventions. First, information on LSBP was added to online induction resources. Then, a poster was distributed, and finally, an email template was

Introduction Falls are a common hospital patient presentation. NICE falls assessment and prevention guideline (NG249) includes lying and standing (L&S) blood pressure (BP). The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) outlines a standardised approach for L&S BP measurement; involving lying BP, standing BP within 1 minute and after 3 minutes. We aimed to improve postural BP recording on Cerner Electronic Patient Record (EPR) utilising Quality Improvement methodology to help clinicians make a correct diagnosis. Method Retrospective data was collected using EPR patient notes whereby 12 medical patients

Background The Emergency Department in the Home (EDITH) service provides an alternative to Emergency Department (ED) attendance for older adults by delivering acute emergency care in the person’s home. The service aims to support admission avoidance while promoting safety and functional independence through a multidisciplinary approach, including medical and Occupational Therapy (OT) assessment. Falls in older adults account for approximately 22% of EDITH referrals per month in 2025. Nationally, the cost of fall-related injuries in older adults in Ireland is projected to exceed €2 billion by