Doctors and nurses in the South West are working on an initiative to help cut the number of people admitted to hospital after a fall.
In co-operation with social care workers, staff are attempting to take preventative measures to minimise risk, especially for the elderly. This can take the form of changes to homes or simple exercises.
One such project at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital sees those with hip fractures recieving support to prevent further injury, as well as surgical and nursing treatment.
The Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre at treats over 2000 'fragility' fractures a year with hip injuries accounting for around 30% of that figure.
Consultant Orthogeriatrician Dr. James Mulcahy said, "in most instances our patients think they must have fallen particularly hard to have broken a bone". He added, "many older patients do not realise their bones are fragile and so susceptible to breaking easily".
The project aims to reduce the figure of 90,000 admissions a year caused by falls and fractures, expected to rise as the population ages.
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