Learn not to fall

Steve Hards

Not telecare directly, but an excellent new website for older people which incorporates just about all the good advice on avoiding falling… funded by Philips Lifeline in the US. It includes a video on how to get up if you fall. Visit www.learnnottofall.com. Who will you recommend it to?

[OK – so how about saving all the millions being spent on ‘falls prevention’ projects and activities and use it to provide people with a cheap computer and broadband so they can access material like this and all the rest of the life saving and life changing information and networking that is now available to those who can afford it?]

2 thoughts on “Learn not to fall”

  1. Very dissapointed that your advice leads people not to seek the medical advice that many of your readers may require. The fact that many of your readers are rarely the older client is perhaps a blessing. Dont forget that as well as issuing people with a computer you will need to offer them the training and then support to use it.
    I looked at the website recomended and thank goodness they dont take the same irresponsible attitude as yourselves, and whilst it is indeed a good guide of things to be aware of, it fails however to even touch some of the higher level issues such as vestibular problems or syncopy issues to name just 2 and the latest figures suggest that there are almost 300 different reasons why people fall.
    i have always been in support of good telecare and often provide adviceor equipment to my patients, i hope the rest of you industry does not share your opinions and that falls prevention continues to stay at the top of the care agenda as its been killing people for years previously with no help at all.

  2. I think you failed to detect the tongue in my cheek. Of course effective falls prevention is important and, from my scanning news stories for posting in Telecare Aware, I get the impression that the evidence is pointing more and more towards physiological causes for falls rather than the environmental ones that many early falls prevention programmes seemed to focus on.

    Perhaps you would like to consider writing a ‘Telecare Soapbox’ item on the subject, focusing on the issues that you think are neglected?

Comments are closed.