As part of Falls Prevention Awareness Week (22-26th September), local HSE teams put on events, and coordinated a multidisciplinary lunchtime webinar series for staff covering a range of related topics. Ruth presented on the impact of the FaME programme on falls prevention and management alongside colleagues from the CUH Fracture Liaison Service on Wednesday 24th September as part of this education initiative.

On 19th September 2025 in Liverpool, Ruth presented research findings from the FaME Ireland project with data from our national survey of trained instructors, interviews and local co-design events held in our three pilot sites in Kerry, Leitrim and North Dublin City.  Ruth was presenting alongside colleagues who have examined the effectiveness of FaME in the UK in a workshop session, titled 'Preventing falls through exercise; lessons learnt from implementing evidence based falls prevention interventions in different healthcare contexts and countries'.

A fourth and final workshop as part of the FaME Ireland co-design phase was held at the RCSI in Dublin on 7th July 2025.  Facilitated by Ruth, Eidin, Frances and Bex (from Later Life Training), it provided a Community of Practice group session for 11 PSIs and physiotherapy leads/FaME champions from the early adopter sites.  The aim of the workshop was to support those delivering FaME programmes, and to collectively consider the research findings to date from fieldwork focus groups, interviews and previous workshops and to develop local plans for implementation. 

On 12th June 2025, the FaME Ireland team hosted a third multiagency co-design workshop in Sligo for over 30 local health services staff involved in falls management services, and other community based older people's health services and exercise services. We had representatives from the Community Healthcare Area covering Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo.

The FaME Ireland team hosted a second co-design event in Dublin on Monday 26th May 2025, and we were delighted to welcome a range of colleagues from across the HSE and partner organisations, all with an interest in enhancing the reach, effectiveness and sustainability of physical activity services and falls management services in the Dublin North City and West area.

On 20th March 2025, the FaME Ireland team hosted the first of three multiagency and co-design workshop in Tralee for over 30 local leads and advocates for community based older people's health services and exercise services.  The aim was to explore ways to embed existing service provision in the community, and to improve access, reach and sustainability of the FaME exercise programme in the Kerry region.

The first FaME Ireland symposium for falls and exercise programmes was facilitated by Ruth and the UCC FaME Ireland core management team, and hosted in the RCSI Albert Lecture Theatre in Dublin.  Over 30 delegates attended, all with an interest or involvement in exercise for older people and falls prevention programmes.  Engagement at the event was fantastic with discussion around developing, connecting and sustaining exercise and physical activity programmes for older people in Ireland.

Dr Ruth McCullagh, PI for the FaME Ireland research project, was invited to take part in the panel discussion at a recent Institute of Public Health webinar on 'Exercise and Healthy Aging'.  The event took place online on 24th October 2024, and focused on the role of physical activity in preventing, delaying or reversing frailty.  More information about the event, and a link to the video, can be found on the Institute of Public Health's website

As part of the FaME Ireland project, we have recently launched an online survey which we are disseminating by email to all Later Life Trained Postural Stability Instructors across Ireland.  Our aim is to compile information on the successes and challenges facing practitioners across Ireland in setting up and delivering programmes, and to build up a detailed picture of what is happening across the country.  We are hoping to reach up to 120 practitioners.  We would love to hear from any PSIs to find out from them whether, following their training, they have been supported to set up any FaME or other falls prevention classes and programmes.  We are equally keen to hear from those who have not yet been able to set up programmes, or have done so in the past, but are no longer providing these classes.  

Dr Ruth McCullagh, PI for the FaME Ireland research project, along with international collaborators Profs Skelton, Orton and Horgan, hosted a symposium titled 'Including older adults in health enhancing physical activity: learning lessons from implementing an evidence-based falls prevention intervention in different healthcare contexts and countries' at the recent HEPA Europe Conference in Dublin.

Dr Ruth McCullagh, Principle Investigator for the FaME Ireland study, will be co-presenting with Professor Dawn Skelton from Glasgow and Professor Elizabeth Orton from Nottingham at the upcoming Health Enhancing Physical Activities (HEPA) Europe Conference in Dublin later in August.

Dr Ruth McCullagh (right), Lecturer in the Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Clinical Therapies, has received €240,000 in research funding to roll out FaME (Falls Management Exercise), an evidence-based falls prevention programme for older people, in Ireland. Over a third of those aged 65 and older fall each year, and research has proven that exercise, including strength and balance training, is key to reducing falls.