Preventing falls crucial as population ages   4 Aug 2015

Hon Nikki Kaye

Minister for ACC

cid:[email protected]

Hon Maggie Barry

Minister for Senior Citizens

4 August 2015

Preventing falls crucial as population ages

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye and Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry have welcomed new ACC initiatives aimed at reducing falls amongst older people.

“ACC will roll out a series of initiatives aimed at preventing falls and improving services for older people over the next 12 months,” says Ms Kaye.

“Today I’m pleased to confirm the first of these initiatives, which include:

· working with St John, Wellington Free Ambulance and Freedom Alarms to identify older people at risk of falls (this will be done when medical alarms are installed at their homes) and refer them to appropriate help

· extending the successful Otago-based falls prevention programme Steady As You Go to Tauranga and Whanganui, in partnership with Age Concern, with a view to rolling out community strength and balance programmes nationally next year

· rolling out new ‘Enabling Independence’ services at ACC branches, which will see case managers focus on assisting older people back into activities after a fall that will help prevent further falls

· distributing information on wellness and injury prevention, developed with partners such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development and Sport NZ, to new SuperGold cardholders.

“ACC also recognises the importance of tapping into overseas expertise to inform local injury prevention, and will sponsor an international conference on rehabilitation in Wellington in October. This will include a focused session on older people and falls prevention.

“These initiatives are important to help reduce both the personal and financial toll caused by falls.

“Many of us will know an older relative who’s had a bad fall, and the often traumatic consequences of that for them and their loved ones.

“Falls cause around 40 per cent of ACC claims for people aged between 65 and 69, and around 60 per cent of claims for those aged over 85. The anticipated lifetime costs of these claims received in 2013 alone is $351 million.

“Future initiatives being worked on include improving fracture prevention, as well as rehabilitation after being in hospital, so that people can get back to their own homes following an injury.”

Ms Barry says the number of people in New Zealand aged 65 and over is expected to double to around 1.2 million by 2035, and she’s pleased to see ACC forming new partnerships and ramping up its injury prevention work to tackle falls.

“A fall can result in a serious injury such as a hip fracture, and this increases the likelihood that someone will require residential care,” says Ms Barry.

“But even falls that don’t result in injury can affect an older person’s quality of life.

“This is because falls can reduce people’s confidence and cause them to restrict their day-to-day activities. That lack of activity can in turn have a flow-on effect, increasing both the risk of another fall as well as the severity of potential injury.

“After the age of 65, there’s at least a one in three chance you’ll have a fall, so I welcome these initiatives that ACC is rolling out from this week.”

Key statistics

· If you’re over 65, you have a 1 in 3 chance of falling

· For people aged 80 and over, the risk of falling increases to 1 in 2

· Falls are the most common and costly cause of injury in older people

· Falls cause around 40% of ACC claims for people aged between 65 and 69, and around 60% of claims for those aged over 85

· Anticipated lifetime cost to ACC of older people falls in 2013 is $351 million

· Severity of fall-related injury increases with age – an 80-year-old has 15 times the risk of a hip fracture compared with a 65-year-old

· A hip fracture is associated with a 33% chance of entering residential care

· The number of New Zealanders aged 65 and over is expected to increase to 1.2 million – roughly one quarter of the population - by 2035

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