P R E S S   R E L E A S E

        Fracture is a major cause of disability and prolonged hospital stay in Hong Kong elderly.  The time required for recovery is usually very long, and more often, the elderly will lose their independence and the quality of life quickly deteriorates.  This will bring great pressure to the family and the caretaker and is also an increasingly heavier economic burden to our medical service.

        Recently, Professor Leung Kwok Sui at the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong has surveyed 560 elderly patients (aged 60 or above; male: 12.3 %, female: 87.7 %) with bone fractures at the Prince of Wales Hospital to examine the causes of fall, both personal and environmental, and how many fractures were caused by falls.

        The survey found that the majority of fractures in elderly were caused by falls (91 %), particularly so in women.  Most fractures occurred in hip and femur (57 %), which very likely cause disability of the elderly.  10% occurred in wrist, 7 % in knee, 5% in spine and humerus respectively, and 3 % in ankle and shoulder respectively.  The average length of hospital stay was a week.  49 % of subjects required surgery and of which 80 % eventually would be transferred to Cheshire Home or other sanatoriums for continued treatment.

        46.4 % of falls happened at home, 10.8% in elderly homes and 8.4% on streets.  Over 65 % of these accidents occurred in daytime.  And the causes of fall were loss of balance (17.3 %), general weakness (19 %), obstacle obstruction (14.9%), slip and fell (13.4%), impaired mobility (9.3 %), and carelessness (8.6 %)

        "We found most victims of fracture caused by fall were women with an average age of 79 years, the oldest being 100 years old.  23.8% reported more than one falls last year," Professor Leung pointed out.

        64.1 % of subjects reported their daily activities were affected because they were afraid of falls.  81 % of the elderly lived with their family, however, 40% were alone during daytime.  Hence many elderly people prefer not taking up any activities because of their limited mobility (30.1 %), lack of company (6.5 %), poor vision (2.6%) and lost interests (2.4 %).

        Besides, 81.2 % of elderly were suffering from one or more than one afflictions with hypertension (47.2 %), diabetes (22.9 %) and visual impairment (22.8 %) the most common problems.

        "There are external factors such as obstructive home environment and risky habits, and internal factors such as degeneration, general weakness and poor balance, and side-effects of medicine, leading to falls in elderly.  We are designing our fall and fracture prevention programme targeting at these problems," explained Professor Leung.

        The Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology has been providing tailor-made service for the elderly community to prevent fall and fracture since 2000.  Talks with multi-media supports were organized at over 30 community centres and more than 3,000 elderly have joined.

        Substantial medical evidence also has proved that optimal exercise will improve bone and muscle quality and is effective to preventing fall and fracture in elderly.  Hence the Department has launched a new set of exercises particularly suitable for the elderly.  This set of exercises is designed by orthopaedic surgeons, Tai Chi masters and physiotherapists, and based on traditional Tai Chi with analysis and modification from the musculoskeletal and biomechanical point of view.  The movement is slow, smooth and easy to learn, and it requires little space and can be practised at home.  The therapeutic value is enormous.  It will help strengthen the muscle power and endurance of the lower body including the quadriceps, the hamstrings and lower leg muscles, and improve upper limb range of motion and flexibility, thus increasing the agility of the elderly.  It will also improve the balance of the elderly by enhancing the joint sensation, coordination and reaction, and prevent osteoporosis by improving the bone quality and reducing bone loss through weight-bearing.