Pharmacy partners with ACC to prevent falls
A pharmacy on the South Island’s West Coast is helping spread the word about Nymbl, an ACC app helping to improve balance for older people. Falls are the most common cause of injury in New Zealand.
If you visit the Westland Pharmacy in Hokitika, you might notice staff wearing a new badge that says: ‘Ask me about Nymbl’.
If you ask their staff, they’ll tell you all about Nymbl, a digital training app designed to help older adults retrain their balance reflex, so they’re less likely to have a fall.
Nymbl is designed to help older adults test, maintain and improve their balance and is available to download for free on both smartphone and tablet devices.
“When we were approached by ACC to see if we’d be willing to promote the app to our older customers, they got a resounding yes,” says Marie Gill, the retail manager at Westland Pharmacy.
“Helping our older customers maintain their independence for as long as possible is really important to us. A fall puts all that at risk.”
Westland Pharmacy is believed to be the first pharmacy in New Zealand to offer this service to their customers.
Pharmacy owner Graham Provis is right behind it.
“It’s a no-brainer really,” he says.
“Many older people come in here to pick up their prescriptions, so we’re well-placed to promote this. Caring for our community is just part of what we do here.”
Tackling the most common cause of injury
Falls are the most common cause of injury in New Zealand, accounting for 39 per cent of all ACC claims.
We accept around 5,000 fall-related injury claims in the West Coast region alone every year. These injuries come at a cost of around $15 million to help people recover.
Every year, one-in-three people over 65 injure themselves in a fall. This figure rises to one-in-two for people over 80.
Many of these falls result in serious injury, such as a hip fracture, hospitalisation or even death.
The Nymbl app is easy-to-use and fully funded by ACC for all New Zealanders aged 50-plus. All you need is a smartphone or tablet and internet access to download it.
Library joins the Nymbl cause
Westland Pharmacy isn’t the only outlet helping to promote Nymbl on the South Island’s rugged but beautiful West Coast.
Westland Library is also supporting the initiative.
“Some older adults struggle a bit with new technology so we can help them get up and running with the app,” says library manager Natasha Morris.
“Westland Pharmacy staff will help a customer as much as they can, but if time doesn’t allow or the customer needs more assistance, they can come along to us at the library.”
Helping older people stay on their feet
The Nymbl app was launched in April last year and has now been downloaded by more than 33,000 older adults around New Zealand, who are enjoying the benefits of being steadier and more confident on their feet.
“Falls have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, especially if it results in a fracture, so we want to do what we can to prevent them from happening in the first place,” says James Whitaker, ACC Injury Prevention Programme Lead.
“Our research shows simple body movements improve balance and reduce the risk of falls by almost a third.”
Nymbl combines simple body movements with easy brain games, like trivia, to challenge both the brain and body. It’s scaled depending on a person’s abilities.
This dual-tasking approach is scientifically proven to improve balance faster than just physical forms of exercise alone.
“By investing 10 minutes a day in Nymbl a few times a week, you can improve your balance and maintain your independence and confidence,” James says.
“Falls shouldn’t be considered part of the aging process – people can maintain a full, active lifestyle well into their older years if they increase their strength and improve their balance.”
Live Stronger for Longer
ACC runs the ‘Live Stronger for Longer’ injury prevention programme, which has two prevention tools.
One is helping to improve strength and balance among older adults, either through the Nymbl app or community classes delivered around the country.
Secondly, the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) aims to minimise the rate of secondary fragility fractures.
“We want to support older New Zealanders to work on their strength and balance so they can keep enjoying their independence,” James says.
How to access Nymbl
You can download Nymbl at the Google Play or Apple app store.
More information on Nymbl or finding a strength and balance class in your area is available on the ‘Live Stronger for Longer’ website.
