Symposium in New Zealand: international experts give insight into mobility and fall prevention in older people

On 5 February 2025, experts from Europe, Australia and New Zealand presented their latest research results at the symposium "Ageing, Mobility and Staying Upright" at the University of Auckland.

In New Zealand too, falls are among the three most common causes of injury-related deaths in people over 65 – and the most common cause of death in people over 80. About 30 percent of people over 65 suffer a fall each year, and about 60 percent of residents of care facilities fall annually.

The event was organised to meet the urgent need for high-quality research in this area in New Zealand, says Professor Ngaire Kerse, general practitioner, chair holder and director of the CoCreated Ageing Research Centre at the University of Auckland.

Topics included, among others, the development and use of wearable sensors to record physical activity. Professor Jochen Klenk from IB Hochschule für Gesundheit und Soziales gave insights from the clinical validation study of the Mobilise-D EU project on the restoration of mobility after hip fracture surgery.

More information about the event is available here. The University of Auckland is New Zealand's largest and leading research university and internationally known for its interdisciplinary research. It places emphasis in health sciences and cooperates worldwide with renowned institutions. The CoCreated Ageing Research Centre plays a central role in researching ageing and developing innovative solutions for an ageing society.