Event

SAFER Seminar: Fall Accidents in Focus - Research, risks and prevention in healthcare, the traffic environment, and product safety

Date
16 April 2026 09:00-11:00
Place
SAFER Office, SAGA Building, room Okeanos & online

SAFER’s Working Group on Long-term Impairment from Traffic Injuries warmly invites you to an open seminar on research and prevention of fall-related accidents.

Falls are a common cause of injury and a growing public health concern, particularly among older adults. In this seminar, researchers and experts will share insights from ongoing work on fall accidents, their consequences, and approaches to prevention in healthcare, the traffic environment, and protective equipment. We hope this seminar will spark discussion and provide an opportunity to exchange ideas on how research and collaboration can help reduce fall-related injuries.

There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion - we look forward to your participation!

 

Registration: Please sign up here!

 

Agenda 

09:00    Welcome by Working Group Leader Sara Kallin, Jönköping University

09:05    Sara Bergström, registered nurse, specialist in geriatric care and PhD student at GU

Falls and Their Consequences in Older Adults: Informing a Guideline-Based Prevention Model for Swedish Emergency Departments

Falls among older adults are a major public health problem and a frequent cause of emergency department (ED) visits. Older adults discharged after a fall face a high risk of subsequent falls, yet prevention strategies in EDs are often insufficient. Findings from the first two studies of this four-part project that focuses on older adults and aims to develop a person-centred fall prevention model for Swedish EDs, informed by both empirical evidence and the World Guidelines for Falls Prevention and Management for Older Adults.

09:25    Anna Carlsson, Researcher & Project Manager at Chalmers Industriteknik

Falls in the traffic environment – A major challenge

Sweden has set a stakeholder target to reduce severe fall related injuries in the traffic environment by 25% over a ten year period up to 2030. However, injury levels have instead increased, and substantial efforts are needed if we are to meet the target. Anna will discuss the underlying causes of fall accidents and what can be done to address them.

09:45    Coffee break - cake for those who will join onsite! 😊

10:05    Viveca Wallqvist, Senior Researcher at RISE

Test method simulating a hip impact

One of the most serious fall related injuries is a hip fracture. In the SAFER associated project “Test Method for Hip Impact”, we will, based on a Canadian standard, develop a test rig that enables the evaluation of hip protectors. This work builds on the recently completed ProSAFE project, which demonstrated that the energy absorption performance of commercially available hip protectors varies considerably.

10:25    Questions & discussion

10:55    Summary & outlook 

11:00    End 

 

Welcome!

Info

Contact
Ines Heinig
Email
Ines.heinig [at] chalmers.se