Bureta Physio physiotherapist Beanie Joyes. Photo / George Novak
Thousands of Tauranga seniors are falling every year, promoting payments of more than $57 million to the city in claims to help them recover.
And the impacts can be "catastrophic" with lasting effects on overall wellbeing, a local physio says.
Across the Bay of Plenty, 79,671 falls-related claims were made to ACC by people 65 years and over in the last five years.
This totalled $102,816,078 of active payments, which could be for claims lodged in any year as some have ongoing costs.
The money goes towards medical treatment, compensation for loss of income, rehabilitation, and support services while the person is recovering.
In Tauranga, there were 43,893 fall-related claims over that same time adding up to $57,865,313 for active claims.
About one in four Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty residents - 42,400 people - are 65 and older, according to Stats NZ estimations.
Last year, there were 9492 new claims across the city, with $14.8m in active costs.
The number of new claims related to falls dropped last year due to the Covid-19 lockdown, after increasing year-on-year since 2016.
On top of that, ACC paid $744,000 for funeral grants related to falls over five years, and there were 152 active claims across the region.
In that same time, there were at least 73 funeral grants totalling $364,054.
ACC provide a funeral grant of up to $6471.17 towards funeral and memorial costs. It can pay the funeral director and those who had already paid for the funeral can be paid back.
Hip fractures are common in older people and can lead to significant disability and death, according to a report by a 2018 Health Quality and Safety Commission.
About 8 per cent of people who fracture their hip die within a month of their injury and 20 per cent within a year. About 50 per cent of survivors have a mobility-related disability one year later.
A separate report by the commission found that malnourishment and orthostatic hypotension (sudden drop in blood pressure) were significant risk factors for falling.
Beanie Joyes is a physiotherapist at Bureta Physiotherapy and Wellness and said falls can be "catastrophic" for older people.
"When a young person falls, you fall over and you're fine ... a small incident in someone younger can have pretty catastrophic effects on an older person."
She said this was down to the higher risks of fractures as a result of osteoporosis - a decrease in bone density.
When a hip or femur is broken, they're immobilised, she said, and getting them back to their pre-fall ability was "really challenging".
The injuries unable to move in ways they were used to affect the client's general health, she said, with people less likely to leave the house, and being less active meant their strength fell too.
She said if something like a broken hip wasn't diagnosed properly, there was a potential for the injury to kill them a few months down the track as a result of the toll a fall can take.
Joyes explained that the ears play a big part in balance, and over time, the fluid in the ear can begin to crystalise.
Less fluid meant that changing positions took longer to adapt to, she explained, so the balance is thrown out.
"If something happens quickly and you don't have the time to level out and change, you're more likely to have a big fall rather than stumble and catch yourself."
Age Concern Tauranga general manager Tanya Smith said falls left seniors "incapacitated", which in turn affected their mental health.
Isolation became an issue as they lost their confidence to do day-to-day life, which she said was concerning, and they had a volunteer-buddy system to visit people in their homes who might not otherwise leave.
She said they offered the Steady As You Go programme at 28 weekly falls-prevention classes from Waihi Beach to Ōpōtiki.
The hour-long classes include simple exercises, seated in a chair, standing and walking, proven to improve balance, spatial awareness, flexibility and leg strength.
Smith said there had been a "huge impact" on people who took the classes.
She said it was good that there more open conversations about falls were happening, and staying active was, fortunately, easier with clubs and groups around the city.
ACC injury prevention leader Kirsten Malpas said the agency's core purpose was to prevent injuries and help people get back to normal life after an accident.
The amount paid to help anyone recover had no impact on their ability to help anyone else, she said.
The Tauranga City Council Age-Friendly City Strategy 2013-2023 sets out what the council planned to do to make the city more age-friendly.
To encourage seniors to get active, stay healthy, socialise and encourage strength and balance exercises, the plan included increasing the variety of recreational and physical activities at community centres and parks.
To make sure seniors felt safe in public and reduce falls and injury, they planned to have better-defined edges and good visibility, especially at entrance points.
Fall prevention was also included in the Tauranga Western Bay Safer Communities 2020 to 2025.
To help seniors stay steady on their feet, ACC is funding the trial of a balance training app, Nymbl, which combines simple body movements with easy brain games, like trivia.
ACC also provides a programme - Live Stronger for Longer - which is available at different centres across the country and includes a range of activities for varying abilities.
What happens after a senior falls
- Firstly, get on top of their pain and symptoms
- Look at the flow-on effects; how the accident has changed their mobility
- Depending on the needs, a plan is made on how to get the client stronger and fitter
- Further prevention, including increasing balance and leg strengthening
- Injuries can range from slight bruising to more extensive treatment and physio ranged from two weeks to months
- Listen to symptoms and keeping moving
Source: Beanie Joyes, physiotherapist at Bureta Physiotherapy and Wellness
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