Age UK and Isle of Wight NHS Trust are supporting Falls Awareness Week (17th to 21st June) with stands at various locations across the Island. Representatives from Age UK and Isle of Wight NHS Trust will be in the following locations during the week:
Monday 17th
Co-Op, Cowes between 10:00 – 12:00
Sainsbury’s, Newport between 10:00 – 12:00
Cowes Primary School, Cowes between 14:00 – 16:00
Tuesday 18th
Co-Op, Sandown between 10:00 – 12:00
Co-Op, Ventnor between 10:00 – 12:00
Wednesday 19th
Café Clinic @ Cobury Court, East Cowes between 10:00 – 12:00
Sainsbury’s, West Cowes between 10:00 – 12:00
Sainsbury’s, Newport between 14:00 – 16:00
Thursday 20th
LTC café, West Wight Sports Centre, Freshwater between 10:00 – 12:00
Laidlaw @ St Marys, Newport between 10:00 – 12:00
Memory Group, The Gouldings, Freshwater between 13:30 – 14:30
Friday 21st
Tesco, Ryde between 10:00 – 12:00
More information about Falls Awareness week, helpful information about preventing falls and key facts about falls can be found on the Age UK website at https://www.ageuk.org.uk/professional-resources-home/services-and-practice/health-and-wellbeing/falls-awareness-week-18-22-june-2012/
Staff at Isle of Wight NHS Trust are also asking anyone who has borrowed walking aids including crutches from the local NHS and no longer needs them to return them as soon as possible as these aids help prevent falls.
Most crutches are returned for refurbishment and reissued to others who need them, but the majority of loaned crutches are not returned. Crutches and walking aids are provided on a short-term loan basis to NHS patients by the joint Council and NHS Integrated Community Equipment Store (ICES) based at Newport Business Park.
A spokesman said:
“Despite asking people to return their walking aids, and following up with them after they are likely to no longer need them, we still find that we run short of walking aids. Most of the crutches we issue are for patients who have attended the Emergency or Physiotherapy Departments at St. Mary’s. If every pair we issued were returned promptly, when no longer required, we wouldn’t need to buy as many new pairs every year. All we would need to replace would be those that have been damaged, worn out or to cope with increased demand. This would save us money that could be spent on front-line services.”
The message from the Island’s NHS is to clear out your cupboards and garage and return any walking aids that are no longer needed. The team at the store are happy to receive any crutches between 8:30am and 4pm Monday – Friday. The Community Equipment Store is at 19 Barry Way at the end of Daish Way off Dodnor Lane on the Business Park. The team can also be contacted by telephone on 01983-528334. Walking aids, including crutches, can also be left at the front entrance of St. Mary’s Hospital with a note stating the name of the person they were issued to in the first place.
Health services including ambulance, community, hospital and mental health services provided by Isle of Wight NHS Trust are mainly commissioned and funded by Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
