We have all suffered a fall at some point and have brushed it off, but as we get older the result can be very serious.

Among adults aged 65 and above, falls are a cause of nearly all hip fractures and the biggest cause of injury death.

They are the main cause of accidents in the home, and 75% of deaths related to falls of older people actually happen in the home.

It’s not surprising, then, that older people develop a fear of falling, leading to them limiting their activities and so to reduced mobility, loss of physical fitness and, in turn, increasing their actual risk of falling.

People aged over 75 who fall are four to five times more likely than those age 65 to 74 to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.

In Brighton and Hove, the most recent Public Health Atlas figures for 2012 showed that out of about 36,000 over-65s, there were nearly 1,600 hospital admissions due to falls – worse than the average rate for England – with more than 250 hip fractures.

What can we do? We can call for more falls prevention information and training targeted at the elderly before they suffer a fall. We also need to take some responsibility ourselves.

We have a fantastic seafront with good park areas. Keeping active by simply walking regularly gives people the fitness and energy needed for a faster recovery should it ever happen.

To find out more, come to our next meeting on Tuesday, June 18, at 10.15am at the Jubilee Library in Brighton.

Mike Bojczuk, Older People’s Council for Brighton and Hove