Butterfly Care launch new falls prevention campaign

BUTTERFLY Care, a family-owned homecare provider based in Wiltshire, BANES and Frome, have recently launched their new falls prevention campaign.

The organisation report, “The aim of this new venture is to not only help the many clients that Butterfly Care looks after, but ultimately help to reduce the need for ambulance intervention and reducing the demands on the NHS and Ambulance Service. AgeUK reported that falls in the over 65s cost the NHS over £3.5 million per day, as well as putting enormous strain on an already pressurised NHS service.

“Anne Pelling and Michele Bodman at Butterfly Care have both become falls practitioners, following a training course with AgeUK. The training enables the falls practitioner to assess a person’s risk of falling and offer advice as to how those risks can be reduced, helping to prevent falls. They can also respond to falls that clients have had, making a well-informed judgement on whether they do require an ambulance or if they can be treated by Butterfly Care. If there was any doubt as to the well-being of the person, then the emergency services would be called for guidance and appropriate assistance, and Butterfly Care will be in attendance to assist with the situation.

“Butterfly Care have invested in specialist lifting equipment, meaning that if an uninjured person cannot get up from a fall, they can respond and help get them off the floor. This can help them get into a more comfortable position if awaiting further assistance from the ambulance service, and can help to reduce the risk of complications due to being on the floor for a long period of time.

“AgeUK has called upon care businesses for ‘falls ambassadors’ to help educate the public on the risks of the falling for the elderly.”

 Anne Pelling, director at Butterfly Care said, “Approximately 30% of people aged over 65 have a fall each year, with this increasing up to 50% in people over the age of 80. Alongside educating our clients and staff about the risks, plus our falls prevention services, we can hopefully reduce the strain on the NHS, and keep people in their homes for longer”. 

If you, or someone you know could benefit from the services Butterfly Care can offer, you can find out more on their website www.butterflycare.co.uk or you can call them on 01225 835888. 

Pictured: Anne Pelling & Michelle Bodman with their AgeUK Falls Ambassador certificates