Our Falls and Fracture Clinic provides comprehensive assessments of a patient’s risk of falls and fractures.
Our assessments are designed to prevent fall injuries and fractures which affect:
- Older Australians – 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men over 60 will have an osteoporotic fracture in Australia
- Repeat fractures – Approximately 50% of people with one fracture due to osteoporosis will have another.
- Hospital admissions – In Australia, a preventable injury-related hospitalisation for osteoporotic fractures will occur every 8 minutes
Assessments
Patients receive a comprehensive assessment, which includes:
Clinical Assessment
- Identification of risk factors for falls and fractures
- Nutritional and mood (depression) assessment
- Medication review
- Clinical assessment by a Geriatrician, a Nurse, and an Exercise Physiologist.
- Biochemistry profile for osteoporosis and nutritional status
Balance and Dizziness Assessment
- Assessment using our Balance Rehabilitation Unit, a state-of-the-art 3D virtual reality tool for the assessment of vestibular function
- Patients identified as suffering from either balance disorders and/or significant dizziness will be scheduled for Balance Rehabilitation for 6 weeks
Gait Assessment
- Assessment using our gait assessment unit (GAITRite). This unit will identify any abnormalities in a patient’s gait and will determine their risk of falling within a year
- A care plan will be developed that includes exercise and physiotherapy from gait abnormalities that increase a patient’s risk of falls
Densitometry (DXA) Assessment
- All patients assessed at the clinic will be assessed for their Bone Densitometry (BMD) and body composition using our DXA machine.
- If low BMD is found, appropriate treatment for osteoporosis will be prescribed.
Results & monitoring
Following your assessment, we will develop a care plan that includes interventions to prevent new or recurrent episode of falls and osteoporotic fractures.
Patients will be regularly reviewed at the clinic to monitor their progress.
Organise a referral
Referrals need to be organised by a General Practitioner (GP) who need to:
- Assess eligibility for the Clinic based on the criteria outlined in the Falls & Fracture Clinic Referral Form.
- Download and complete the Referral Form including relevant consent
- Prepare patient details including the history, relevant pathology results, list of medications and other relevant information
- Send the completed Referral Form and additional documentation to ffclinic@aimss.org.au or via Fax to 8395 8262.
Enquiries
For more information, contact:
Solange Bernardo
Fracture Care and Prevention Co-ordinator
Ph: (03) 8395 8231
solange.bernardo@wh.org.au