Fix this text
UNIKEN
Fix this textTHE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Fix this textNo. 246 (No. 6 of 1988)
Fix this textPublished fortnightly by the Pubhc Affairs Unit
Fix this textRegistered by Australia Post - Publication No. NBF 4388
Fix this text6 May 1988
Fix this textNew tests to
Fix this texthelp elderly
Fix this textavoid falls
Fix this textBy the year 2011, according
Fix this textto the Australian Bureau of
Fix this textStatistics, the number of elderly
Fix this textpeople admitted to hospital for
Fix this textthe treatment of femoral neck
Fix this textfractures (fractured hips) will
Fix this texthave risen from 315,000 in
Fix this text1986 to 579,000.
Fix this textEven if costs remain constant,
Fix this textand inflation is ignored, this will
Fix this textadd nearly $22 million to the
Fix this textpublic health bill.
Fix this textBut results of a pilot con-
Fix this textducted by Mr Stephen Lord,
Fix this textProfessional Officer in UNSW’s
Fix this textSchool of Community Medicine
Fix this textand a doctoral student, indicate
Fix this textthat it should be possible to
Fix this textscreen the elderly to find out in
Fix this textadvance those with, or likely to
Fix this textdevelop, the balance problems
Fix this textwhich may cause them to fall
Fix this textand injure their hips.
Fix this textResearch has shown that falls
Fix this textare frequent among the elderly,
Fix this textparticularly those over the age of
Fix this text65 one-third of whom may
Fix this textexperience at least one fall a
Fix this textyear. The incidence is higher
Fix this textamong women.
Fix this textThe hip fractures resulting
Fix this textfrom these falls often require
Fix this textacute care in hospital for any-
Fix this textthing up to 38 days, with death
Fix this textthe likely outcome for 27 per
Fix this textcent of patients, according to
Fix this textone study. Among those who
Fix this textsurvive, only 5 1 per cent are able
Fix this textto walk as well as they did
Fix this textbefore their fall.
Fix this textWhat Mr Lord’s study did,
Fix this textwas to administer 12 tests to a
Fix this textlarge sample of people aged from
Fix this text60 years and over, measuring the
Fix this texteffect of age overall on balance,
Fix this textco-ordination, reaction time and
Fix this textstrength. This contrasts with
Fix this textearlier investigations which have
Fix this textlooked at specific kinds of falls
Fix this textand the environmental or clinical
Fix this textfactors which might have caused
Fix this textthem.
Fix this textMr Lord found that age
Fix this textcauses reduced efficiency in the
Fix this textbody systems responsible for
Fix this textpostural control, bringing about
Fix this texta physiological predisposition to
Fix this textfalling.
Fix this textThese body systems include
Fix this textproprioception (ability to receive
Fix this textmuscle signals telling where the
Fix this textbody is when the eyes are closed),
Fix this textvision, neuromuscular control,
Fix this textmuscle strength and central
Fix this textnervous system integration.
Fix this textThe 12 tests, some standard
Fix this textand some with new instruments
Fix this textdevised by Mr Lord, showed that
Fix this textage brings about decline in three
Fix this textvisual measures: visual acuity,
Fix this textrod-and-frame field dependence
Fix this textand extent of roll vection. These
Fix this textlast two not reported on
Fix this textbefore - says Mr Lord, show
Fix this texthow a person responds to situa-
Fix this texttions where visual and other
Fix this textpostural systems are placed in
Fix this textconflict, that is, the extent to
Fix this textwhich they can detect a true
Fix this textvertical if there is a tilt or roll in
Fix this texttheir visual field.
Fix this textReduced ability to do this
Fix this textmeans more reliance on sight
Fix this textrather than on messages coming
Fix this textto the brain from the muscles,
Fix this textjoints and the vestibular system.
Fix this textSo if the visual environment is
Fix this textdefective, the likelihood of fall-
Fix this texting is the greater.
Fix this textMuscle weakness in the legs
Fix this textanother consequence of age
Fix this textadds to the risk.
Fix this textMr Lord found that among
Fix this textwomen ‘fallers’ visual capacity
Fix this textwas inadequate to compensate
Fix this textfor reduced signals from the
Fix this textmuscular system.
Fix this textReduced sense of touch and
Fix this textreaction time had little to do
Fix this textwith a pre-disposition to fall, the
Fix this textstudy found.
Fix this textHow can the tests help
Fix this textprevent falls among the elderly?
Fix this textAccording to Professor lan
Fix this textWebster, Head of the School of
Fix this textCommunity Medicine and super-
Fix this textvisor of the project, it should be
Fix this textpossible to re-train people’s use
Fix this textof their muscles and to strengthen
Fix this textthe muscles so that sensory
Fix this textinput from them is increased.
Fix this textScreening programs would
Fix this textidentify those elderly most at
Fix this textrisk and would allow hospitals
Fix this textpresently working on general
Fix this textexercise programs to produce
Fix this textexercise profiles for likely fallers.
Fix this textProfessor Webster says it is
Fix this textessential as ageing progresses,
Fix this textnot to ‘give up’ not to give up
Fix this texton exercising the brain or the
Fix this textmuscles. Countries like China
Fix this textand the USSR, he says, with
Fix this textlarge aged populations and
Fix this textreduced medical resources, vigor-
Fix this textously promote exercise and
Fix this textactivity programs for the elderly.
Fix this textMr Lord’s testing procedures
Fix this textfor fallers, he says, are simple,
Fix this textacceptable and unobtrusive.
Fix this textThey can be done in clinics.
Fix this textHis study will continue with
Fix this texttests projected on a random
Fix this textsample of 1,000 women from
Fix this textthe Randwick municipality and
Fix this texton 100 dependent people in a
Fix this textKing’s Cross Anglican Hostel.
Fix this textIs this a record?
Fix this textBook Fair-$126,000
Fix this textUNSW’s biennial Book Fair
Fix this textwhich ran from 25—30 April,
Fix this texthad record net takings of
Fix this text$126,000 for the U Committee,
Fix this textthe group of wives of staff and
Fix this textfriends of the University which
Fix this textraises money for projects which
Fix this textcannot be funded in other ways.
Fix this textU Committee President, Mrs
Fix this textJacqueline Samuels, said the
Fix this textpublic response was remarkable,
Fix this textfrom the opening 15 minutes
Fix this textwhen 3,000 people surged
Fix this textthrough the doors of Unisearch
Fix this textHouse, to the final day when the
Fix this textremainder of the books were
Fix this textsold for S 3 a box.
Fix this text‘Takings were just over
Fix this text$132,000 and after expenses we
Fix this textshould make approximately
Fix this text$126,000, an increase on the
Fix this text$1 13,000 net from 1986’, she
Fix this textsaid.
Fix this text‘lt was an excellent Book
Fix this textFair despite the constant rain
Fix this textwhich kept our cloak room
Fix this textattendants very busy.’
Fix this textMrs Samuels said organizers
Fix this textfeared the worst when a 25-
Fix this textminute blackout occurred during
Fix this textthe peak selling period on the
Fix this textfirst day but the crowd was very
Fix this textwell behaved and stood patiently
Fix this textuntil things were rectified. There
Fix this textwere no security problems.
Fix this textShe said the slow auction had
Fix this textraised 520,000, the sale of
Fix this textstamps $9OO and the sale of rare
Fix this textbooks about SI 0,000.
Fix this textT would like to thank publicly
Fix this texteverybody who assisted, includ-
Fix this texting U Committee members,
Fix this textpeople from the University, and
Fix this textothers who have left the Univer-
Fix this textsity but returned to help at the
Fix this textFair’, she said. ‘lt was an enor-
Fix this textmous team effort,’
Fix this textWith the 1988 Fair a closed
Fix this textbook, U Committee members
Fix this textare already planning for 1990.
Fix this textAnyone who would like to assist
Fix this textwith the next Fair can do so by
Fix this textvisiting the Book Room (near
Fix this textthe Unisearch House carpark) on
Fix this textMonday mornings. The tele-
Fix this textphone number at the Book
Fix this textRoom is 697 5889.
Fix this textAmong the tests to determine balance problems among the elderly inolves a
Fix this textsubject attempting to align a black strip on the small disc with the vertical,
Fix this textwhile the large striped disc rotates around the subject's line of sight. This
Fix this texttest measures the subject's sense of the vertical when exposed to 'conflicting'
Fix this textvisual stimuli.
Fix this textSix University Medals were presented at the one graduation ceremony on 29 April. From the Board of Studies in
Fix this textScience and Mathematics, clockwise from top right are Eric Demoiseau (shared. Physics), Rachel Hancock (Pure
Fix this textMathematics), Christopher Lovett (Computer Science), Vincent Wacher (Chemistry), Maria Dimitratos (Optometry),
Fix this textand Fiona Walkerden (shared. Physics). Is this a record tally of medals? For more graduation pictures see back page.
Fix this textA section of the milling crowd jamming Unisearch House when the doors
Fix this textopened for the 11th biennial Book Fair on Anzac Day. The week-long event
Fix this textattracted widespread media coverage.
Fix this textDepartment o f Medical Illustration
Fix this textPreview pp 4,5
Fix this textPEN
Fix this textDA
Fix this textSaturday 4 June 1988
Fix this textIt's easy and takes two shakes of a lamb's tail!
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http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252334614
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. (1975). Uniken Retrieved June 4, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252334614
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit and University of New South Wales, issuing body. Uniken Kensington, N.S.W: University of New South Wales, 1975. Web. 4 June 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252334614>
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. 1975, Uniken University of New South Wales, Kensington, N.S.W viewed 4 June 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252334614
{{Citation
| author1=University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit.
| author2=University of New South Wales, issuing body.
| title=Uniken.
| year=1975
| section=volumes : illustrations ; 30-43 cm.
| issn=0312-7877
| issue=1988, no. 6 (6 May, 1988)
| location=Kensington, N.S.W
| publisher=University of New South Wales
| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252334614
| id=nla.obj-252334614
| access-date=4 June 2025
| via=Trove
}}
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