- 4th National Conference
A capacity audience of 400 participants coverged on Kensington Town Hall for the 4th in the series of annual conferences organised by the BGS Falls and Bones Section. With delegates coming from the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK, the conference is evolving into an international event. The multidisciplinary audience, as is so often the case, gave the day a lively buzz of enthusiasm which is so often lacking in uni-disciplinary events. The conference opened spectacularly with our own Dr Jed Rowe, aptly described with great affection as an iconic figure, giving us a structure for the assessment and management of the dizzy patient. Common geriatric blasphemies were vigorously decried, and the Dueling Dragons roller coaster ride was commended as a novel alternative to the Epley maneouvre. |
Prof Marion McMurdo |
Liz Lightbody inspired many of the nurses present with an overview of her PhD project on nurse-based interventions for older people attending A&E after a fall. Professor David Reid and Dr Eugene McCloskey reminded us of the inextricable link between falls and fractures, and the importance of addressing both falls risk and osteoporosis management in older people who fall.
The scientific
presentation sessions were of a high standard and were appropriately chaired
by Drs Tash Masud and Rob Morris, the
original instigators of the conference. The difficult task of selecting
the prize winners was heroically tackled by Prof Stephen Lord
and Dr Clare Robertson, both internationally renowned
falls researchers. The best oral presentation prize was awarded to Dr
Jack Hawkins (Nottingham) and the best poster presentation prize
went to Dr Dawn Skelton (Manchester). Many congratulations
to both.
In response to feedback from the 2002 conference, David Oliver
addressed the troublesome topic of the preventability of falls in institutional
care. He highlighted the relative dearth of research in this area, the
limitations of the existing evidence, but offered light at the end of
the tunnel with the pending NOS study. In the interim, he shared his views
on his best guess at best practice. Dr Tracey Villar
gave a practical insight into hip protector use based on her experience
in Dorset. She observed that counter-intuitively, the more research evidence
that has emerged on hip protectors, the murkier the waters have become.
Poor compliance remains a problem, and current evidence of effectiveness
is less convincing than the early studies promised.
New
monitoring technology
Dr Frank Miskelly opened the minds of many with an open
appraisal of the potential uses of new technology in the prevention and
monitoring of older people who fall. This is a rapidly evolving field
which many of us were unfamiliar with, and it was good to learn that Dr
Miskelly and his group are leading the New Technology in Elderly Care
Project which will keep up informed of key developments.
This conference has grown year by year, and has now taken on a momentum of its own. It is a hugely enjoyable refreshing, inspiring scientific day, with a stellar array of speakers, and great opportunities to network with friends and colleagues.
To join the Falls and Bone Health multidisciplinary Group of the BGS, and to be on the mailing list for early notification about the 2004 conference, contact Dr Jed Rowe, Treasurer: jedrowe@geriatrickery.freeserve.co.uk
Professor
Marion McMurdo
Chair, Falls and Bone Health Group