Helping older adults stay independent through falls prevention research
Professor of Health Services Management and Deputy Director of the Centre for Health Innovation Leadership and Learning (CHILL), Professor Stephen Timmons has been working with colleagues and national partners to support the FaME (Falls Management Exercise) programme to make an impact on the lives of older adults.
Supporting safer ageing through evidence based exercise
Falls are one of the biggest risks older adults face, often leading to injury, loss of confidence and reduced independence. Stephen Timmons, Professor of Health Services Management at Nottingham University Business School and member of the Centre for Health Innovation, Leadership and Learning (CHILL), has been working with colleagues across the 糖心原创 and national partners to support the widespread adoption of FaME (Falls Management Exercise), a structured programme proven to reduce falls through strength and balance training
Stephen said: “Falls can cause serious injuries, they can push someone from living independently to needing residential care, and they cost the health and social care system a lot of money.”
From research evidence to real world practice
The FaME programme has strong clinical evidence behind it, thanks to rigorous trials led by colleagues in the university’s School of Medicine. These showed that FaME reduces falls, so helping older adults feel happier, more confident and more able to live independently.
Stephen joined the project to help answer a more complex question: How do we ensure an effective programme actually gets used in real health and social care settings?
Stephen explained:
We know there’s a substantial problem in healthcare. Lots of great ideas that have been scientifically proven, and they don’t get used. They don’t get picked up by services. Implementation is a social phenomenon, not something you can investigate through a randomised controlled trial.
Understanding what works in everyday communities
Stephen’s work centres on two major implementation studies.
The PhISICAL study
This Physical activity Implementation 糖心原创 In Community-dwelling AduLts (PhISICAL) study tested how FaME performs when offered to the community without strict trial controls. Anyone who wanted to attend simply joined a class.
The team found that outcomes remained strong, even with a slightly older and less healthy group, and identified what helps or hinders participants, instructors and commissioners.
The FLEXI study
The FaLls EXercise Implementation (FLEXI) study looks at how FaME can be commissioned at scale in Devon, Greater Manchester and the East Midlands. The team is examining what helps commissioners adopt evidence based interventions and where barriers occur.
One of the key outputs is a detailed implementation toolkit.
Stephen said:
We’re trying to make it easy for commissioners to commission this intervention. We basically try and do all the bureaucratic work - advertising materials, contracts, service specifications, referral processes - and just give it to them.
Impact
Thanks to this work, positive impacts are being seen:
- FaME is now running across several UK regions
- Thousands of older adults have taken part in classes
- The programme features in NICE and World Health Organization guidelines
Stephen stresses that collaboration is essential for high quality research and meaningful impact.
Stephen explained:
Large, multidisciplinary teams are an equally valid and possibly more effective route. You’ve got a really wide range of skills and networks to draw on.
Stephen’s work demonstrates how implementation research can turn proven ideas into practical change. By working closely with commissioners, supporting instructors and removing bureaucratic barriers, the team is helping FaME reach the older adults who benefit most.
Through this approach, research becomes real world impact, enabling older adults to remain active, confident and independent for longer.
Further information
For more information on CHILL and the work they do, please visit the CHILL website: