Tuesday April 14th 2026
The Lasswade Centre.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Social care bosses are set to launch the first research project into the impact of fall prevention work on older people in Midlothian.
Hundreds of volunteers will be recruited to take part in the study which will look at how community events which target the issue are helping people make changes in their lives.
The first recruitment drive will take place at a community event in Lasswade this week where over 50s, their friends and families will be able to take part in fun fitness tests to check their strength and flexibility as well as accessing advice on exercise and diet that can help them avoid a fall.
Social care experts say the risk of falling over starts to rise after people turn 50 with a third of over 65s falling every year, often ending up in hospital.
Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership has organised the drop in at the Lasswade Centre on Thursday with more than 20 experts on hand to provide advice and help people.
More than 200 people attended the last community drop in event last September. This time around organisers hope to recruit 100 people from the event to take part in the research project with a further 100 coming from a future event.
The project is first of its kind to look at the longer term impact of this type of community engagement day for falls prevention. So far there is no research on long term outcomes of these types of events. The organiser has had ethics approval for the study.
Participants will be asked to fill in a questionnaire on the day and asked for permission to contact them in 6 months’ time to fill in a similar questionnaire. They will also be asked if they would like to be contacted to join a focus group in between time.
The event in the Lasswade Centre aims to prevent people falling because, with one in three people aged 65 and over fall every year and it is a major cause of hospital admissions and can result in serious injuries and long-term complications. Falling can also contribute to a loss of confidence and independence.
The drop in is on from 10am to 2pm on Thursday, April 16.
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