Recent News

With our commitment of ‘Patients First’, we take falls prevention seriously, not just in our hospital but for the lifetime of our patients.

In fact, we just received a Gold Star from the Australian Council of Healthcare Standards for our inpatient falls rate, which means we had far fewer patient falls in our hospital than the 311 organisations we are benchmarked against.

During ‘April Falls Month’ we participate in the annual campaign which helps to raise awareness about the impact of falls and best practice strategies for fall prevention. This year, our Clinical Nurse Educator, Fiona set up a great information board in the Rehabilitation Lounge as well as provided an information pack for each patient on the ward. This is over and above the valuable education provided by our rehabilitation team.

Patient education is important to us because we know that:

We teach our patients that poor balance and strength will affect a person’s mobility and put them at an increased risk of a fall. However, research has shown that exercise of any type has shown to reduce the risk of falling by 23%.  We should all do 30-60 minutes of physical activity most days. To prevent falls, this should include exercise or activities that improve strength and balance. Every bit of activity helps.

For older people interested in falls prevention, there is an exciting and affordable exercise program called ‘Living Longer Living Stronger’. It is a progressive training program designed to improve strength, balance, coordination and endurance. There are classes available and exercise videos.
Follow the link below to find out more:
https://www.cotansw.com.au/programs/living-longer-living-stronger/about/

(Not affiliated to LPH)