with Daniel Fechner , Ear Studio

In the 2018 Australian Health Report it was revealed that falls are the leading cause of injuries resulting in death . Overall , falls were accounting for 37 per cent of all deaths in Australia .

According to the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) a fall is ‘ an event which results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor or other lower level ’.

Over 70 per cent of falls occur in a person ’ s residential environment . There are many different causes for a fall , but ultimately it comes down to the fact a person is losing their balance to a point where they cannot recover their footing . Gravity takes care of the rest , resulting in a fall .

The human body operates a very complex and sophisticated system to keep us in balance . This allows us to ride a bike , balance on a ledge , get out of bed and walk through the bathroom at night , even with the lights off .

The brain takes information from the feet , ankles , knees , hips and spine which then combines the information together with what the eyes see and what the inner ear senses ( the balance organ ). There are over 20 separate ‘ sensors ’ which help the brain to maintain balance .

Multiple things can affect one or more sensors of this system and the body has difficulty maintaining balance . The most common contributors include the use of some specific medications or using several at once , losing parts of our hearing ( and with that also parts of the vestibular system – the balance organ ), vision impairment , muscular-skeletal issues such as strength and flexibility and other diseases , for example diabetes .

Falls prevention is especially important to us at Ear Studio , because our founder Daniel lost his own grandfather due to a fall . In our view the first step to reducing the risk of falling is knowledge .

Knowing which factors influence your balance is a great starting point . Based on the NSW Health system we have put together a comprehensive falls-risk assessment that incorporates general questions about your health as well as

high-tech measurements of your balance functions . With this we can guide you in the right direction and together with your GP , work on improving your balance and thereby reduce your risk of falls .

To learn more or book your appointment please visit www . earstudio . com . au and go to falls risk assessments or call us on 02 9159 6122 .

Ear Studio is located at Suite 9 / 60 Cecil Avenue , Lawton House in Castle Hill .

Trading hours : Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm . Contact us : 02 9159 6122 or reception @ earstudio . com . au or you can visit : www . earstudio . com . au

Ear Studio is proudly independent and locally owned .