A big thank you to all the staff at Alwyn, you made my stay very comfortable and really enjoyable.
Joy Mc
Falls are a leading cause of injury-related hospitalisations in NSW. Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that people aged over 65 are most at risk of falls. All treatment interventions, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy etc, aim to prevent falls from occurring and to encourage safety and independence.
Falls are not inevitable and people can learn new strategies for reducing their risk of falls and for increasing confidence. The Falls Prevention program will address risk factors such as:
At Alwyn, falls education is addressed on an individual basis, as part of each patient’s rehabilitation program. Each team member has the responsibility to provide falls prevention strategies for patients in hospital and in preparation for return to their community following discharge. On admission, assessments are carried out by the Nurse, Physiotherapist, and Occupational Therapist – alerting members of the team to the possibility of a patient being at risk of falls.
If required a home assessment will be carried out prior to discharge. The home assessment provides an opportunity to assess the falls risks at home and make recommendations to reduce these. To minimise ‘at risk’ activities on discharge, services such as meal assistance, shopping, bed making, laundry, home cleaning and transportation can be arranged by the social worker.
