A NEW East Lancashire project aims to reduce the risk of falls by the elderly.
This week eight members of the Brookhouse community travelled from Blackburn to the Hilton Hotel, in Blackpool, for a workshop looking at ways of preventing falls.
The Healthy Communities Collaborative is a national project managed by the National Primary Care Development Team.
Local professionals, including Healthy Living Centre representatives, a district nurse, and community development officer, also attended the workshop.
Research by Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust showed that the ambulance services, within Blackburn and Darwen, are called to approximately 100 fallers aged over 65 every month.
Fifty per cent of them are not taken to hospital as they are simply older people who have fallen and cannot get up.
The research also showed that 40 per cent of care home admissions are as a result of a fall.
In Blackburn with Darwen, this new project will focus on the Brookhouse, Ewood/Infirmary, and Lower Darwen areas.
Each site will have a team of up to 10 members, including residents and professionals, to deliver the project.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article