NEWS RELEASE
September 16 2002
Whyalla
wins funding to keep older people on their feet
Researchers from the Spencer Gulf Rural Health School (SGRHS)
at UniSA’s Whyalla campus in collaboration with Whyalla Hospital and
Health services Inc., The Eyre Peninsula Division of General Practice,
local GPs, and the Whyalla Elderly Support Group have just secured funding
of more than $175,000 to develop a falls prevention program for older
people.
The project will be launched at the Middleback Theatre
in Whyalla on September 18 at 12 noon.
For older Australians having a fall often leads to some
of the most common and serious health problems and the incidence of falls
is common across all older people whether they live independently or in
residential or acute aged care facilities.
National estimates show that each year one in every
three people over 65 will fall over and while not all of them will be
injured, more than 30 per cent will need medical attention. Nationally,
the medical and related treatments associated with these falls costs the
Australian community about $2 billion each year.
The good news, according to researchers at the Whyalla
based research centre (SGRHS), is that falls can be prevented.
“A number of factors may cause an older person to
fall, including poor balance, inactivity, history of previous fall,
chronic health conditions, visual problems, multiple medications and
hazards in and around the home and in public places,” Dr Lillian Mwanri
says.
“This project will equip our seniors with very
important information that will help them to prevent falls and minimize
falls related injury.”
Recognized as one of the National Health Priority Areas
in Australia, fall prevention programs for older people are being
supported around the country. The Commonwealth Government funds the
National Falls Prevention For Older People.
Community demonstration falls prevention projects are part of the
broader initiative. The Whyalla project and another metropolitan project
based at Adelaide Western Domiciliary Care are the only two community
demonstration projects funded under the Commonwealth government initiative
in SA.
Media
contact: Michčle Nardelli (08) 8302 0966 or 041 8823673
Background
info on the project
Name
of the project: Stay on
your feet - Whyalla
Funds: $180,000 for two years
Goals
- Collaboratively
develop a multi-dimensional falls prevention system for community
dwelling older people in Whyalla
- Embed
sustainable components into the Whyalla’s system to ensure
continuation post project funding
- Disseminate
the lessons learnt
Objectives
- To
increase awareness of falls and interventions among stakeholder
(services providers and the Whyalla community).
- To
enhance access to falls prevention information, strategies and
activities for stakeholders.
- To
build falls prevention capacity through workforce development.
- To
build partnerships among stakeholders interested in falls prevention
among older people.
- To
recommend policy formulation that will impact on resource
mobilisation, communication
strategies, service delivery and community development within a
local capacity.
Project
target groups
- Community
dwelling residents 65 years and over (ATSI 55 years and over)
- Health
and related human services professionals
- Community
leaders
Project
partners
- South
Australian Centre for Rural and remote Health, University of South
Australia
- Representatives
from other health services and community organisations
- Community
representatives.
Launching
date:
18/09/02 from 12.00 to 2.30 pm
Host:
Whyalla Elderly Support Group on behalf of “Stay on your feet
Whyalla”
Place:
Middleback Theatre, 141 Nicolson Avenue, Whyalla Norrie
W
