Adult Wellness Coalition focuses on falls prevention

Seniors’ Week may be over, but the focus on health and wellness persists, particularly the need to continue addressing fall prevention through various initiatives and strategies. Anyone can fall at any age. However, as we get older, we can become more susceptible. According to Parachute Canada, falls are the number one reason for injuryrelated death, hospitalization, and emergency department visits for older adults within Canada. Within Alberta in 2019, there were over 37,000 Emergency Department and Urgent Care visits and just under 12,000 hospitalizations due to fall-related injuries for those 65 and older. A fall may alter a person’s ability to live independently and lead to disability, chronic pain, fear of falling, and many life changes. The good news is that we know that most falls are preventable, and there are steps individuals can take to reduce their risk of a fall while staying active and independent.

With falls being a significant public health concern, it was evident that there was a need for further community collaboration and opportunities to connect with stakeholders who have a keen interest in injury prevention and wellness. Thus, in 2020, partners across Southeastern Alberta attended the kick-off meeting for what is now called the Adult Wellness Coalition with a Focus on Falls Prevention. The coalition was primarily established as a way for stakeholders to come together to network, share, collaborate, and support the falls prevention work that is being accomplished within southeastern Alberta. Members have had the opportunity to work collaboratively to develop activity challenges and start to evaluate the falls prevention resources available with the southeast zone.

Although older adults are increasingly susceptible to falling, middle-aged adults (aged 45- 64) are also an important group to address. In fact, AHS recorded a 28.5 percent increase in the number of middle-aged adults seeking urgent treatment due to a fall between 2008 and 2017. The Adult Wellness Coalition with a Focus on Falls Prevention understands the need for upstream approaches to health care and connecting with older adults and middle-aged adults to support the development of fall prevention skills and strategies at a younger age to help prevent falls within the future. A key fall prevention intervention, and easy step individuals can take to reduce their risk, is to stay active, build strength and challenge balance. People with stronger legs and good balance are less likely to fall.

The coalition meets every two months for anyone interested in supporting fall prevention work within southeastern Alberta and welcomes new partners anytime.

For more information on the Adult Wellness Coalition and how to become involved, please connect with the Chair, Lisa Doyle, at lisa.doyle@ahs.ca.

For more information on fall prevention strategies, check out these additional resources:

Finding Balance Alberta: Finding Balance – Stay Independent. Prevent Falls. (findingbalancealberta.ca)

Alberta Health Services: https:// www.albertahealthservices.ca/injprev/ Page15787.aspx

Parachute Canada: https://parachute.ca/ en/injury-topic/fall-prevention-for-seniors/

Lisa Doyle is a Health Promotion Facilitator with Alberta Health Services, and chair of the Adult Wellness Coalition.