You are not alone

Falls and the fear of falling affect more people than you might realise. The statistics speak for themselves.

One in three women and one in five men over the age of 65 are reported to fall each year. This figure grows to one in two for everyone over the age of 80.

All these falls result in 60,000 hip fractures in England and Wales every year and the outlook following hip surgery is not always bright.

Fortunately, there are things that can be done to minimise the risk of falling and improve your chances of maintaining good mobility and strength.

The Postural Stability Service is part of this campaign and is dedicated to helping you improve your quality of life as you inevitably grow older.

What we do

Our team is here to give advice and encouragement to help you reduce your risk of falling.

We aim to provide support, exercise and the opportunity to meet others who share your concerns and experiences during our course of exercise and advice.

What happens during the course?

The course consists of tailored group exercises designed to reduce the risk of falling. The participant is encouraged to go at their own pace. Each person is assessed for their level of falls risk before starting the course to ensure that all possible risk can be considered and acted upon.

During the course we cover topics such as:

• how to cope if you have a fall
• how to get up following a fall
• footwear and foot care
• medication
• further information on resources available in the community.

If you think you might benefit from this service, or if you know of someone that you feel may benefit, then please pick up the phone and call the number on the back of this leaflet under the ‘contact us’ section.

Monitoring your progress

At the beginning of the course, and at various points along the way, we monitor your progress to ensure that the course is addressing any falls risks and to show you, and us, just how much you have progressed.

At every stage of the course a postural stability instructor will monitor and adjust your routine as necessary.

Strong and steady

A programme of exercise and information designed to minimise the risk of falling, reduce the number of falls resulting in injuries and build confidence in older people.

If you have one of the following:

• fear of falling
• history of falls
• feeling unstable
• a diagnosis of reduced bone density or family history of osteoporotic fracture.

It’s possible that we can help you to improve your life.