Abstract
Falls are a costly, often preventable problem that increases with age. Community fall-prevention events provide an excellent route for community, student, and professional education. Community members reported high levels of satisfaction with the event (means 3.6 to 3.8 out of 4). Knowledge and awareness of community resources and the STEADI toolkit improved for both students and volunteer professionals. OT practitioners are ideally situated to help implement these events.
Primary Author and Speaker: Kay Graham
Falls represent a costly problem with recent estimates as high as $50 billion a year (Florence, et al., 2018). Since risk of falls, injury due to falls and mortality due to falls increases with age (Bergen, Stevens, & Burns, 2016; Burns & Kakara, 2018), fall prevention often a key component of care for older adults. The Centers for Disease Control recommends the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) Tool Kit to help health care providers assess, treat, and make referrals for older adults regarding fall prevention. Local Area Agencies on Aging provide community programs, information, and funding to address fall prevention by providing evidenced based programs that address fall-related issues. Despite the availability of these resources, locally, few clinicians were aware of or refer to these local community based programs. The research purpose was to determine if professional and student knowledge, awareness, and referral plans regarding community resources improved following participation in a community fall prevention event. This was a pre/post interventional design used for community expo events in 2017 and 2018. All research participants (student and professionals) were recruited from volunteers working the community event who were asked to participate in the research. Consenting participants completed a pre-event online survey about knowledge and referral patterns to evidenced based programs that addressed fall prevention. Participants received brief education at the end of the survey regarding evidenced based programs including information about the STEADI toolkit offered in the area to address fall prevention needs of clients. In addition, participants participated as volunteer staff for a community fall prevention event. Following the event, participants completed a similar survey with slight changes to assess whether referral patterns changed. Descriptive percentages and mean responses and differences were analyzed. In 2018, 14 professionals and 29 students (18-OT, 5-PT, and 6-nursing students) completed both pre event and post event measures. Thirty-seven of those were first time participants in the event. Familiarity with community was higher post event for all resources with evidence-based programs Matter of Balance and Tai Chi for Health showing the biggest increases in awareness (47% to 77% and 44% to 84% respectively). Starting levels of awareness were higher in 2018 as compared to 2017 despite most of 2018 participants being first timers. Current referral percentages were in the 30’s for the 2018 pre-event and increased the 80’s for students and professionals following the event. Likelihood to promote use of STEADI also increased post event (very likely increasing from 40% to 57% at post-event for all participants). The results clearly showed improved awareness of resources post event in both years. More importantly, there were sustained results between events as shown by higher starting awareness the second year. These events served the community but also provided excellent real time education for both students and professionals. It is hoped that the improved awareness of community resources will allow health care professionals to provide better care and optimize community referrals. This initiative was led by an occupational therapist; opportunities for the profession such as this offer excellent ways to promote health and well-being in clients as well as ensuring best practices for current and future OT professionals through its educational components.
Florence, C. S., Bergen, G., Atherly, A., Burns, E., Stevens, J., & Drake, C. (2018). Medical costs of fatal and nonfatal falls in older adults: medical costs of falls. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(4), 693–698. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15304
Bergen G, Stevens MR, Burns ER. (2016).Falls and fall injuries among adults aged ≥65 years — United States, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Weekly Report 2016;65:993–998. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6537a2
Burns E, Kakara R. Deaths from Falls Among Persons Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2007–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:509–514. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6718a1externalicon