Bulletin No. 2, 2015

Exercise class for the elderly Train-the-trainer workshop both genders aged between 65 and 80 with fragility fractures at the hip were recruited from two hospitals—one with a multi-disciplinary fracture management setting and one offering conventional care. Patients exhibited significant improvement compared to the control group in terms of mobility and balance ability after one year. Risk of fall was also significantly lower, as was post-fracture risk of fall after one year. Professor Leung said that though involvement in community projects often required him to work over-time on the weekends and public holidays, passion and persistence saw him through. When asked for ways to improve professors’ participation in community projects, he thought perhaps more recognition from the University might do the trick. H ong Kong’s elderly population is estimated to soar from 13% to 30% in the next 30 years, which will put tremendous pressure on elderly healthcare services in the coming years. A common problem plaguing old people is falls due to loss of muscle mass and strength, and other old age-related degeneration. Prof. Leung Kwok-sui of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology has been treating fragility fractures since 2000. Overwhelmed by the number of patients needing such attention, he launched an INSEED project that devised a one-stop, fall-prevention approach to treating fragility fractures. The comprehensive treatment includes medical consultations on osteoporosis and polypharmacy by general practitioners; tailored fall prevention exercise programmes monitored by a physiotherapist; vibration therapy to accelerate bone healing, enhance muscle strength, improve balance ability, and maintain bone mineral density; and educational talks on fall and fracture prevention. Professor Leung and his team conducted a study on the efficacy of this approach. Patients of Knowledge Delivered to the Doorstep—Knowledge Transfer Project Fund 13