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AUF Starting Grant for research on fall prevention

Lotta Seppala, affiliated with the Amsterdam Public Health (APH) research institute, has been awarded a 25,000-euro AUF Starting Grant for updating her tool designed to assist in reducing medication to prevent falls among the older persons. This grant is made possible by the Spinoza Fund of the Amsterdam University Fund (AUF).

Falling is a common issue among the older persons. Although assessing and reducing medications can help prevent falling, this method is not optimally utilised due to its complexity.  

Lotta Seppala developed a dedicated tool for health care professionals to taper medications: STOPPFall. The tool is currently used by many geriatricians across Europe. With the AUF Starting Grant, Lotta will update STOPPFall to align with the newest guidelines and provide optimal patient care. 

User-friendly 

With STOPPFall 2.0, she aims to improve public health by enhancing medication assessments, promoting patient safety and potentially reducing healthcare costs. Lotta: ‘I want to create STOPPFall 2.0, a user-friendly website with input from health experts. The site should be accessible to everyone, from students to doctors to older adults.’  

‘It is relevant for healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers and older adults and can be integrated into clinical guidelines. The project encompasses five phases: from gathering information from health professionals to understand their needs to sharing findings through publications and collaborations.’ 

New call in 2024 

The next call for the AUF Starting Grant will be launched in 2024, probably in spring. Interested young scientists can find additional information on this website (will be updated this spring). Contact address: rs-startstipendium@amsterdamumc.nl.