Falls Links
March 2025 | Issue 3 |
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Welcome to the March 2025 issue of our newsletter |
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IN THIS ISSUE - Register now to attend the 2025 Annual Falls Forum
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Registration open for the Hunter New England LHD Rural Forum and Exercise Workshop
- April Falls 2025 Resources Now Available!
Research Highlights - Upcoming Webinars
- Stepping On Updates
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Upcoming Events
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Register now to attend the 2025 Annual Forum |
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NSW Fall Prevention and Healthy Ageing Network 2025 Annual Fall Forum Friday May 2nd, 2025 Wesley Conference Centre, Sydney
The NSW Fall Prevention & Healthy Ageing Network Annual Forum provides a fantastic opportunity to come together and learn about the latest on fall prevention and healthy ageing. Listen to experts in their field provide an overview of the latest research, advocacy, quality improvement and fall prevention in residential aged care and hospital, and community program initiatives. This forum also provides a fabulous opportunity to network, exchanges ideas and learn from each other.
Registration is now open for general admission and virtual tickets. All tickets include access to recorded video presentations (available following the forum). - General Admission: $90
- Virtual: $45
Draft program: click here
Abstract submission is now open! Submission forms attached. |
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Plenary Speakers include: |
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Prof Pip Logan Professor of Rehabilitation Research and Occupational Therapist at the University of Nottingham and the University of Queensland |
| Prof Cathy Said Physiotherapist and Professor Physiotherapy, Western Health & The University of Melbourne |
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Prof. Ruth Peters Program Lead for Dementia, Global Brain Health Initiative, The George Institute for Global Health |
| Dr Rik Dawson Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health. President, Australian Physiotherapy Association |
| Dr Yoshiro Okubo Research Fellow - Falls, Balance and Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia |
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Registration open!
Hunter New England LHD Rural Forum |
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Friday 4th April 2025
The Hunter New England LHD Rural Forum aims to inspire and motivate local healthcare staff to provide high-quality, evidence-based care with a focus on strategies to reduce risk & harm from falls. The aim is to inspire and motivate care staff to provide high-quality, evidenced-based care with a focus on strategies to reduce risk & harm from falls. The program will include: |
- Presentations from keynote speakers
- Fall Prevention initiative updates from the Hunter New England LHD
- Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) Older Persons’ Patient Safety Program
- Consumer perspectives
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Hunter New England LHD Exercise to Prevent Falls Workshop |
Saturday 5th April 2025 The Exercise to Prevent Falls in Older People Workshop provides attendees with the practical skills to develop evidence-based fall prevention strategies. Who is this course for? For Health Professionals working with older people. This workshop will help you tailor exercise programs for falls prevention.
Workshop Schedule 6 online learning modules to be completed prior to the practical session through our online learning platform. A 3hr face-to-face practical session including fall risk screening, case study discussions, exercise demonstrations and an opportunity to develop and present an exercise class. |
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April Falls 2025 - Resources now available! |
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April Falls 2025 is quickly approaching, with a new theme and redesigned resources! The Falls Prevention is Everyone's Business theme aims to involve all healthcare providers in the management of falls by promoting best-practice fall prevention strategies with a focus on integrated care. |
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Head over to our website to learn more about this year's April Falls Campaign theme, Falls Prevention is Everyone's Business. There you will find access to downloadable campaign posters for use across hospital, community and residential aged care settings. |
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Effects of Twelve Weeks of Square Stepping Exercises on Physical and Cognitive Function and Plasma Content of SMP30: A Randomised Control Trial
Franco-García JM, Pérez-Gómez J, Castillo-Paredes A, Redondo PC, Rojo-Ramos J, Mayordomo-Pinilla N, Villafaina S, Gómez-Álvaro MC, Melo-Alonso M, Carlos-Vivas J. Geriatrics (Basel). 2025 Feb 7;10(1):22.
DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics10010022 Abstract
Background: Ageing and sedentary lifestyles affect physical and cognitive function and markers of frailty, increasing the risk of falls in older adults and affecting their quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Square Step Exercise programme on physical and cognitive function and plasma SMP30 levels for the prevention of falls in older adults.
Methods: A randomised controlled trial was designed with 44 participants assigned to an experimental group (SSE group) and a control group. The SSE group performed SSE sessions twice a week for three months, with a follow-up in the fourth month. The assessments of physical function included tests such as the Four-Square Step Test, Brisk Walking and its dual-task variant, Time Up and Go and its imagined and dual-task variants, 30 s Sit-to-Stand and its dual-task and imagined variants and a 6 min walking test. Questionnaires were also used to assess the risk and fear of falling. Resting EEG activity was also recorded to assess electrocortical brain activity. SMP30 levels were measured by Western blotting.
Results: The SSE group showed significant improvements compared to the control group in the Four-Square Step Test (p < 0.001), Brisk Walking (p < 0.05) and reduction in the fear of falling (p < 0.001) after the training programme, but these adaptations were not maintained one month after the programme ended (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in the remaining variables of physical function, cognitive function, fall risk questionnaire, EEG activity or plasma levels of SMP30
compared to the control group (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: The SSE programme showed efficacy in improving balance, gait speed and reducing fear of falling in older adults but did not show improvement over the control group in other areas of physical or cognitive function or plasma SMP30 levels for fall prevention. Read more here
For more fall prevention-related research publications, the NSW Fall Prevention and Healthy Ageing Network collates abstracts each month which can be viewed here. |
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Safer Falling March 13 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Hosted by the Center of Research Excellence - Prevention of Fall-related Injuries
Falls and fall-related injuries are a significant concern, with one third of older people falling annually and falls being the leading cause of hospitalised injuries in NSW. The way older people fall, including their body position, contact points and stiffness, can determine whether they do or do not sustain an injury. Safe landing techniques, such as martial arts-adapted tuck-and-roll techniques and landing while absorbing impact forces (e.g., bending the elbows) show promise in reducing injuries from falls.
Flyer attached. |
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Understanding Social Frailty and its Association with Falls Webinar April 2 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Hosted by Injury Matters Join Injury Matters, with guest presenters Dr Manonita Ghosh and Dr Hien Thi Nguyen, from Edith Cowan university for the “Understanding Social Frailty and its Association with Falls” webinar, where they will explore:
- An overview of social frailty
- Key risk factors and outcomes of social frailty
- Measurable indicators of social frailty such as the SAGE Social Frailty Index.
This webinar is for anyone working with older adults such as home care providers, carers, and support workers, health and allied health professionals and local government officers. It is also suitable for clinicians and researchers who want to gain an understanding of the SAGE Social Frailty Index. |
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| Only 3 spots left for the next Stepping On training day in March.
Visit www.steppingon.com to enroll. |
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International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research
12th - 14th March 2025, Toulouse, France British Geriatrics Society Spring Meeting 2025
9th - 11th April 2025, Belfast and online
NSW Fall Prevention and Healthy Ageing Annual Forum 2025
2 May 2025, Wesley Conference Centre, Sydney, Australia
International Society of Posture and Gait Research World Congress 2025 29 June - 3 July 2025, Maastricht Exhibition & Conference Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands
Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand 8th Annual Scientific Meeting 20-23 July 2025, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand
1st Asian Falls Network & 4th Fragility Fracture Network of Malaysia Annual Scientific Meeting 2025
12 - 13 September 2025, The Vertical, Connexion Conference & Event Centre, Kuala Lumpur
11th Biennial Australia & New Zealand Falls Prevention Society Conference
23 - 25 November 2025, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Hotel, Sydney, Australia
3rd World Falls Congress, hosted by British Geriatric Society in association with the World Falls Prevention Society and EU Falls Fest Group 24 - 26 June 2026, Manchester, UK |
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Our vision is to lead the way in fall prevention and other healthy ageing initiatives by harnessing expert knowledge and being collaborative in all we do.
We work closely with researchers, policy makers, health practitioners and community service providers in the development and promotion of healthy ageing services and programs with a focus on preventing falls and fall-related injury.
Our purpose is to support practitioners to improve the lives of older Australians through healthy ageing initiatives with a focus on preventing falls and fall-related injuries. |
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Do you have any news on Falls Prevention or healthy ageing that you want to share with others on the network, or report on a project that is happening in your area. We also welcome suggestions for articles and information you would like to see in this newsletter. Send your news and suggestions to: fallsnetwork@neura.edu.au
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Contact Us: Telephone +61 2 9399 1063 Email fallsnetwork@neura.edu.au
Our mailing address is:
NSW Falls Prevention Network
Neuroscience Research Australia
PO Box 1165
Randwick NSW 2031
Copyright © NSW Falls Prevention and Healthy Ageing Network |
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