Falls Prevention Class

The Kinetic Foundation is planning on expanding the work it does at a community level through beginning an Osteoporosis and Falls Prevention exercise class for older adults to commence in January 2014. We are working together with Surrey Physiotherapy so that a tailored driven session can be delivered. The foundation decided to start this class because of the high number of falls associated with older adults and the costs it could potentially save for the National Health Service a large sum of money, while also improving the quality of life for older adults. Currently:

• Falls and fractures in people aged 65 and over account for over 4 million hospital bed days each year in England alone.

• The healthcare cost associated with fragility fractures is estimated at £2 billion a year

• Injurious falls, including 70,000 hip fractures annually, are the leading cause of accident-related mortality in older people

• Falls destroy confidence, increase isolation and reduce independence

• A tailored exercise programme can reduce falls by as much as 54 per cent (AgeUK 2013)

We also see this as an opportunity for young people to further engage with their community by volunteering to help assist the physiotherapist during the class. This will be a fantastic opportunity for young people to expand their CVs and increase their chances of becoming employed.If you would like to take part in our exercise class, ‘Forever Fit’, please email: accounts@surreyphysiotherapy.co.uk for further details.If you would like to be a volunteer and gain experience working with a physiotherapist, please email: Ruairi@kinetic-foundation.co.uk for further details.