Keeping the People of Western Uusimaa on Their Feet: New fall prevention project launches in September

Falls are the leading cause of accidental injury among older adults and one of the most significant health risks associated with declining functional capacity. They can lead to injuries, fear of falling, reduced functional capacity and an increased need for services. Their impact is felt both in people’s everyday lives and in the pressure placed on social welfare and healthcare services.

One in two people aged 80 or over experiences a fall, and a first fall increases the risk of falling again. Half of all falls result in some form of injury. Each year falls lead to approximately 45,000 episodes of care and between 6,000 and 9,000 hip fractures. The cost of a single hip fracture exceeds EUR 30,000.

A total of 580 hip fractures were recorded in our wellbeing services county in 2025. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has set a target incidence rate of 0.4% for hip fractures. In the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, the corresponding rate is 0.6%. 

Currently, the risk of falling is assessed and clients receive related guidance in different ways across different services. Identifying the risk often depends on the expertise of individual professionals. As a result, some clients at risk of falling are not identified, while others are referred to preventive services too late.

The project Keeping the People of Western Uusimaa on Their Feet addresses the need to improve fall prevention. The project will run for four years, from 2026 to 2029, and aims to establish a consistent and effective operating model throughout our wellbeing services county for identifying the risk of falling and preventing falls.

The development work will be carried out in broad cooperation. It will involve all parties working in the service area for older adults, health services, housing services, municipalities and organisations participating through the Strength in Old Age programme. Outsourced service providers will also be included in the work. This will ensure that fall prevention is seen as a shared responsibility throughout the entire service pathway. It will also help us identify risk factors early enough and provide more effective guidance.

Through the project, we aim to shift the focus from treating the consequences of falls to anticipating and preventing them. The development work will produce a shared operating model that different services can adapt to their own activities.

The model will describe how the risk and fear of falling should be identified, what preventive measures should be introduced and how their implementation and effectiveness should be monitored. As the project will run for four years, we will have a valuable opportunity to firmly embed fall prevention practices in our services and raise awareness of fall prevention among residents throughout Western Uusimaa.