Falls Links 

 August 2025 | Issue 8

Welcome to the August 2025 issue of our newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

  • Welcome to Prof Anne Tiedemann
  • Updated Fall Guidelines Now Available
  • Research Highlights

  • Upcoming Exercise Workshop
  • Stepping On Updates
  • Upcoming Events

Welcome to Prof Anne Tiedemann

We would like to welcome Prof Anne Tiedemann to our management group. 

 

Professor Tiedemann is Professor of Physical Activity and Health in the Sydney School of Public Health and leads the Healthy Ageing research theme at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health. She is Executive Board Member of the Australia and New Zealand Falls Prevention Society and of the World Falls Prevention Society. For more details, click here.

 

Professor Tiedemann has recently published an article entitled "We know how to prevent falls in older Australians, and save lives. So, why aren’t we?" which outlines what needs to happen to ensure the new National Fall Prevention Guidelines create real change.

Updated Fall Guidelines Now Available

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) recently released the updated Falls Guidelines 2025 that aim to support health professionals to reduce falls across hospitals, residential aged care, and community settings.

 

The guidelines adopt a person-centred and evidence-based approach to address fall risk factors such as mobility, cognition, medications, environment, and post-fall care across all settings.

Research Highlights

The Telephysiotherapy for Older People (TOP-UP) program for improving mobility in

people receiving aged care: a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation randomised

controlled trial

Dawson R, Pinheiro M, Oliveira J, Haynes A, Naganathan V, Taylor ME, Bowes N, Nelson K, Rayner J,

Sherrington C. Med J Aust. 2025 Jul 20. doi: 10.5694/mja2.70004.

DOI: 10.5694/mja2.70004 

 

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and implementation of a telephysiotherapy program for improving mobility, mobility goal attainment, and quality of life of people receiving at-home or residential aged care.
Study design: Hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation randomised controlled trial.

Setting, participants: People aged 65 years or older who were receiving community or residential aged care services in Australia, 1 September 2021 - 30 November 2023.
Intervention: Telephysiotherapy for Older People (TOP-UP): six-month program of ten telephysiotherapy (Zoom) sessions for assessment and tailored exercise prescription, supported by trained aged care workers and exercise videos.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcome: mobility (Short Physical Performance Battery [SPBB] score at baseline and six months).
Secondary outcomes: fall rate (per person), proportion of people with falls, SPBB components (sit-to- stand performance, balance, gait speed), pain (visual analogue scale), mobility goal attainment, physical activity (Incidental and Planned Exercise Questionnaire), quality of life (EQ-5D-5L visual analogue scale).
Results: A total of 1348 people were screened at 27 sites, and 242 eligible people were recruited for the trial (mean age, 83 years [standard deviation, 8 years]; 158 women [65%]); 92 of 120 intervention group participants and 100 of 122 control group participants completed the six-month. After adjusting for baseline mobility scores, the mean difference in mobility score at six months (intervention v control group) was 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-2.7) points. Sit-to-stand performance was more likely to improve in intervention than control participants (adjusted odds ratio, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.3-4.3); intervention participants reported greater quality of life (EQ-5D-5L visual analogue scale: adjusted mean difference, 6.2 [95% CI, 1.8-10.7] points) and less pain (visual analogue scale: adjusted mean difference, -1.1 [95% CI, -1.8 to -0.3] points), and a smaller proportion experienced falls (29, 32% v 44, 44%; risk ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.42-0.92). Of 1348 screened people, 242 enrolled in the trial (18.0%), of whom 186 (77%) completed the trial, and 62 of 66 surveyed participants (94%) endorsed the intervention. No serious adverse events were recorded.

Conclusion: The TOP-UP program safely improved mobility, reduced fall risk and pain, and improved quality of life for people receiving aged care. Telephysiotherapy could be incorporated into aged care to improve the lives of older Australians.

 

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.

Upcoming Exercise to Prevent Falls in Older People Workshop

Our next Exercise to Prevent Falls in Older People will be held at the Arncliffe Youth and Recreation Centre. 

28 August 2025

1.30pm - 5pm

 

The Exercise to Prevent Falls in Older People Workshop includes:

  • Online modules (completed prior to workshop attendance) covering topics such as the issue of falls, fall risk factors, the physiology and biomechanics of falls and balance, fall risk assessment and the evidence on preventing falls and fractures. 
  • A Face-to-face practical workshop on the 28 August, including considerations for designing programs to prevent falls in older people, strategies to improve adherence in programs and numerous practical activities

 

Please contact the NSW Fall Prevention and Healthy Ageing Network to register.

 

Subsidised places are available for those working within the South Eastern Sydney LHD.

Stepping On - Updates

Places filling up fast!

 

Next Stepping On training day in Sydney September 2025.

 

Visit www.steppingon.com for more information

Upcoming Events

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

 

ANZHFR Binational Hip Fest 2025
6 - 7 November 2025, Rydges Hotel, Melbourne Australia

 

11th Biennial Australia & New Zealand Falls Prevention Society Conference

23 - 25 November 2025, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Hotel, Sydney, Australia

 

Asia-Pacific Society for Physical Activity (ASPA) Annual Conference

26 - 28 November 2025, Newcastle City Hall, Sydney, Australia

 

3rd World Falls Congress - British Geriatric Society in association with the World Falls Prevention Society and EU Falls Fest

24 - 26 June 2026, Manchester, UK

 

ABOUT US

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.

SHARE YOUR NEWS

Do you have any news on Fall 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 Fall Prevention Network and Healthy Ageing Network
Neuroscience Research Australia
PO Box 1165
Randwick NSW 2031

 

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