Don't get tripped up this winter

With temperatures set to drop further, the NHS in North Cumbria and the North East is encouraging all those at risk of falls to take extra care.
The NHS logo.The NHS logo.
The NHS logo.

Around one in three adults over 65 who live at home will have at least one fall a year and about half of these will have more frequent falls. As temperatures plummet, health bosses expect an increasing number of people to be affected and require urgent care.

The winter months bring additional challenges with wet, cold weather, falling leaves, ice and snow. Falls are one of the main causes of older people attending accident and emergency departments and this can sometimes lead to lengthy hospital stays.

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A report published in autumn 2017, commissioned by the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria, revealed that in 2014/15 there were 12,654 emergency admissions for falls, costing an estimated £84,973,249 to the region’s NHS.

NHS England’s medical director for Cumbria and the North East, Professor Chris Gray, said: “When the weather is really bad, the advice is to think carefully about going out in the first place. These messages are really important as our A&E departments are under significant pressure.”