Breath, balance, and belonging: A holistic approach to preventing falls in later life

Falls remain one of the most significant health risks for older adults worldwide. Each year, more than 684,000 people lose their lives due to falls, with over 80% of these individuals coming from low socio-economic backgrounds [1]. People aged 60 and above represent the most affected group, with approximately 37.3 million fall-related incidents requiring medical attention reported annually [2]. In the UK alone, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates that falls cost the NHS over £2.3 billion annually [3].

Building on our previous findings that show the positive effects of multimodal interventions on balance and functional movement in adults over 65 [4], we sought to address a key gap: the need for accessible, socially engaging programmes that older adults can participate in from home or within their community. To this end, we combined expertise from the Arts and Humanities, Sport and Exercise, and Biomedical Science departments to co-design a novel intervention. This programme integrates dance-based movement with respiratory muscle training, providing both physical and social benefits for participants aged 60 and over. Within a few short weeks, we recruited over 30 older adults to join the initiative. Weekly sessions are now underway at the University of Derby’s Sports Hall and Dance Studio, delivering meaningful health and social outcomes in the local community. As the project continues to grow, we aim to contribute to national best practices in fall prevention through publication and knowledge sharing. Preliminary results from this intervention will be presented at the upcoming conference.

References
1. World Health Organization (2024). Ageing and health. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health (Accessed: 11 March 2025).

2. World Health Organization (2022). WHO's work on the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030). Available at: https://www.who.int/initiatives/decade-of-healthy-ageing (Accessed: 11 March 2025).

3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2020). Falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention (CG161). Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg161/chapter/introduction (Accessed: 11 March 2025).

4. Ferraro, F.V., Gavin, J.P., Wainwright, T., and Walsh, N.P. (2021). Association between inspiratory muscle function and balance ability in older people: a pooled data analysis before and after inspiratory muscle training. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 30(3), pp.421–433. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2020-0351