There have been a number of articles published on falls in recent weeks surrounding the release of the Australian National Fall Guidelines.

• We know how to prevent falls in older Australians, and save lives. So, why aren’t we?
  Croakey. Authors: Anne Tiedemann, Jasmine Menant, Kim Delbaere and Cathie Sherrington
• 17 older Australians die from falls every day. Here are 5 things you can do to reduce your risk.
  The Conversation. Authors: Anne Tiedemann and Cathie Sherrington
• Cardio and strength training boost health as you age. But don’t forget balance exercises to reduce your chance of falls
  The Conversation. Authors: Anne Tiedemann, Cathie Sherrington and Geraldine Wallbank

Hosted in partnership between the CRE in the Prevention of Fall Related Injuries, The Australia New Zealand Falls Prevention Society and Injury Matters, this informative webinar introduced the newly released Preventing Falls and Harm from Falls in Older People: Best Practice Guidelines (2025), developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. These comprehensive, evidence-based guidelines provide best practice recommendations for preventing falls in hospitals, residential aged care, and community care settings. This video offers an overview of the updated guidelines, their development and discuss their application across various care environments. Viewers will hear from contributors involved in the development of the guidelines and gain insights into person-centred strategies to reduce falls risk and support healthy ageing.

In this new Croakey article, Prof Anne Tiedemann, A/Prof Jasmine Menant, Prof Kim Delbaere and Prof Cathie Sherrington write:

“We now need government leadership, sustained investment and coordinated action to prevent avoidable harm, and ensure all Australians can age with confidence, mobility and independence”.

Read about what needs to happen to ensure the new National Fall Prevention Guidelines create real change.

Presented by the ANZFPS Early-Mid Career Researcher Sub-Committee
Presenters: Dr Benignus Logan and Sandeep Gupta
Friday 30 May

Links from the webinar:
– Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) – Worldwide Journal club
– The Asia-Pacific Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Frailty
– British Geriatrics Society – Fit for frailty
– Agency for Clinical Innovation – Frailty Taskforce
– Northern Sydney Frailty Initiative
– Intergenerational playgroups

Dr Benignus Logan is a specialist geriatrician in Brisbane. He is in the final stages of completing his PhD which has examined frailty and goals of care in older people living with chronic kidney disease. Benignus works with the Australian Frailty Network, and established Frailty Nexus as a community of practice for researchers and healthcare professionals with an interest in frailty. Benignus will present an introduction to frailty, including its prevalence, how to measure it and give us an overview of the current research on frailty being undertaken by the Australian Frailty Network (AFN).

Sandeep Gupta is the Head of Physiotherapy at Canterbury Hospital, Sydney. He has been the Co-chair of the Agency for Clinical Innovation’s Frailty Expert Advisory Group and a member of the Executive for the ACI’s Frailty Taskforce. Sandeep has a Masters by research, is actively engaged in research and is a co-author on six peer reviewed publication. Sandeep will present an overview of clinical applications of frailty, including interventions designed to improve the patient outcomes for people treated for frailty.

Dear ANZ Falls Prevention Society Members,

We are pleased to announce that the draft Recommendations and Good Practice Points from the Australian Fall Prevention Guidelines, prepared for the Australian Commission on Quality and Safety in Health Care, are now available for consultation here.

Please send any feedback you may have to this email: anzfallsprevention@neura.edu.au by the 25^th February 2024 c.o.b.