Falls could fall due to new technology trial

The Community Falls Team has been chosen by the NHS Innovation Agency and Lancashire County Council to pilot this new technology, using QTUG (Quantative Timed Up and Go) which allows staff to screen people for gait and mobility impairment, and identify those at risk.Wearing hi-tech sensor pads below both knees, walking just a few steps allows the technology to quickly tell whether a person has a low, medium or high risk of falling.“Falls are the most common cause of injury and hospital admission, and often happen as a result of a decline in health and fitness as we get older,” STEADY On! practitioner Cathy Bolton said.“We’re now using QTUG as it helps to prevent falls by accurately assessing a person’s mobility and balance, it helps people when offered appropriate activities to improve or maintain muscle strength to keep track of their own improvements over a period of time.”Staff will be taking the technology to events in Clitheroe and Hapton as they continue to help prevent falls among the elderly.An estimated 30% of adults over 65 years of age fall each year.