STEP SAFELY PROJECT

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HACC workers falls prevention training
presentation
Working together to prevent falls
Training package developed by Banyule Community
Health Service (adapted and modified from the
Boroondara Primary Care Partnership Step Safely
Program) This HACC Workers falls prevention
training manual provides an overview of a one
hour training session aimed at local government
home and community care staff. The aim of the
session is to inform participants of the
consequences of falls, demonstrate that falls are
preventable, increase the knowledge and ability
of staff to identify falls risk factors, and to
involve HACC service providers in promoting falls
prevention among seniors. The training manual
includes an outline for each topic covered in the
training session (activity, goals, resources and
timing), additional references for facilitators
and is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation
that includes 5 case studies, and pre and post
evaluation questionnaires. The resource
requires organisations to include local falls
prevention service information and falls data,
and provide falls prevention handouts available
from the organisation for distribution to
participants. (Downloadable) ---???????????--- I
n 2005 the Department of Human Services funded
the National Ageing Research Institute to review
and recommend a set of falls prevention resources
for general use. The materials used as the basis
for this generic resource were developed by the
Banyule Community Health Service under a Service
Agreement with the Department of Human Services.
This and other falls prevention resources are
available from the departments Aged Care website
at http//www.health.vic.gov.au/agedcare.
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ltorganisation namegt Falls Prevention Project

• FALLS PREVENTION TRAINING FOR HACC WORKERS

Insert Organisation logo
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OVERVIEW OF THE TRAINING

• Introduction
• Falls prevention project
• Falls and older people
• Prevention of falls
• Case studies
• Summary
• Evaluation

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OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING

• To outline the consequences of falls
• To demonstrate that falls are preventable
• To increase your knowledge ability to identify
  falls risk factors
• To provide you with information about local
  services
• To involve health and community care providers in
  the promotion of falls prevention among older
  people

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AIM OF THE FALLS PREVENTION PROJECT

• To reduce falls and injuries caused by falls
  amongst older people living in their own homes
• Our primary target group is people over the age
  of 65 and who are living at home

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OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• Improve public and professional understanding of
  falls risks in older people
• Improve community safety
• Develop interventions to target special at risk
  group
• Improve referral pathways

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OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT continued

• Involve the community in developing appropriate
  strategies to reduce falls
• Increase the general target groups participation
  in physical activity that enhances strength,
  balance and social participation

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PHILOSOPHY

• If older people are given the necessary
  information and support they will take control of
  health and environmental issues that influence
  their lives.
• Falls and decreased mobility are not an
  inevitable part of growing older, but can be
  prevented or minimized through 8 simple steps.

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WHAT IS A FALL?

• A fall may be described as
• an event that results in a person coming to
  rest inadvertently on the ground or other lower
  level and other than a consequence of the
  following
• Loss of consciousness
• Sustaining a violent blow
• Sudden onset of paralysis
• Epileptic seizure. (Kellogg, 1987)

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LOCATION OF FALLS
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7
4
WC
Laundry
Kitchen
Meals
Living
Pantry
Dining
Bathroom
50
Living
Entry
Bedroom
Garage
Source Victorian Injury Surveillance System
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25
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WHERE DO FALLS OCCUR?

• 65 of falls occur at home
• 50 in living areas and the bedroom
• Less than 10 in bathrooms, toilets or kitchens
• 25 in public places mainly on footpaths, in
  shopping centres and on stairs.

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FREQUENCY OF FALLS

• gt 65 years 1 in 3 fall at least 1 x year
• gt 80 years 1 in 2 fall at least 1 x year
• 1 in 4 people require residential age care after
  a fall
• 1 in 5 people will break a bone due to a fall, or
  have a serious injury
• Of all injuries for gt 80 years 75 linked to
  falls

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LOCAL DATA
Insert local data for your area - Hospital
admissions due to falls - this could be displayed
as a graph, table, chart
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LOCAL DATA
Insert local data for your area - Emergency
presentations due to falls - this could be
displayed as a graph, table, chart
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COST OF FALLS

• In Australia
• 1114 deaths (1998)
• over 45,000 injuries (1998)
• 498 million in annual health care costs (2001)
• In Victoria
• 323 million in direct annual health care costs
  in 2002/3 (VAED 2002/3)
• 21,390 public and private hospital admissions in
  2002/3 (VAED 2002/3)and
• 7,808 ED presentations to public hospitals (2001)

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CONSEQUENCES OF FALLS

• Major cause of injury-related hospitalization for
  people 65
• 10 - 20 result in fractures or other injury
• Hip fracture most common serious injury
• 50 restrict activities after fall
• - fear of falling

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A fall is a symptom what is the problem?
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Risk Factors

• Intrinsic (personal)
• Gender Female
• Chronic medical conditions e.g. Stroke and
  Parkinsons disease
• On multiple medications and specific medications
  e.g. psychotropic medication
• Decreased bone density
• Low levels of physical activity
• Balance or walking problems (past history of
  falls)
• Impaired cognition
• Sensory loss / Impaired vision

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Risk Factors

• Extrinsic (environmental)
• Home hazards
• Public places hazards
• Behavioural
• Risk taking activities
• Inappropriate foot wear
• All these factors may interact to increase the
  risk of falling

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PREVENT FALLS

• Falls may seem to be common
• But many falls can be prevented!

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8 SIMPLE STEPS TO PREVENT FALLS
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8 SIMPLE STEPS TO PREVENT FALLS
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YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

• As a professional carer
• hazard identification
• risk assessment
• risk control

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SIGNS THAT SOMEONE IS AT RISK OF FALLS

• Person
• Has loose shoes
• Has loose clothing
• Lacks energy
• Looks tired
• Furniture walks
• Is dizzy, drowsy and unsteady
• Is confused and anxious
• Is short of breath
• Has had a recent fall or near fall

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CASE STUDY 1

• Mary is a 75-year-old woman living alone. She has
  home care fortnightly. She wears bifocals and
  has osteoarthritis (which mainly affects her
  spine), and uses a walking stick outside. Mary
  has had several falls in her garden and in the
  street over the past six months. She has told you
  she is having trouble negotiating the steps from
  the veranda to the garden.

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CASE STUDY 2

• John is a 75-year-old and has Parkinsons
  disease. He lives in a first floor flat with his
  wife Betty. You attend for Home Care only. John
  is currently using the bath and has had several
  falls when getting in and out of the bath. He
  rarely leaves the flat and spends most of the day
  in his dressing gown and slippers.

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CASE STUDY 3

• Emily is a 72-year-old woman. She uses the
  community bus for shopping and is generally well.
  However she suffers from insomnia, for which she
  takes medication and you notice she can be drowsy
  in the mornings. She had two falls getting on the
  bus over the last several months. Emily is of
  light build and wears layers of clothing to keep
  warm.

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CASE STUDY 4

• Another client you see is an 80-year-old woman
  who has osteoporosis and is in bed with the flu.
  She expresses a wish for a cup of tea. On the way
  to the kitchen you nearly trip over something on
  the floor in the corridor. On attempting to put
  on the light to see what the obstacle is, you
  realise that the light bulb has blown.

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CASE STUDY 5

• Your client, Mrs S, is a 97-year-old widow who
  lives on her own. She has very little family
  support and she suffers from incontinence. You
  attend fortnightly for Home Care and she has
  Meals on Wheels delivered daily. She has told you
  she is getting up to go to the toilet 2-3 times
  per night. You noticed that her toilet is at the
  end of the house.

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ATTITUDES AND MYTHS
Common attitudes and myths about falls that you
may encounter

• This isnt relevant to me!
• Changing things around the home can be
  expensive and difficult
• I just need to slow down
• Ive had that cord running across the lounge
  room floor for a long time
• I am not that old and frail yet

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PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

• Insert list of Falls Prevention
• materials/handouts here

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Acknowledgement

• In 2005 the Department of Human Services
  funded the National Ageing Research Institute to
  review and recommend a set of falls prevention
  resources for general use. The materials used as
  the basis for this generic resource were
  developed by the Banyule Community Health Service
  under a Service Agreement with the Department of
  Human Services. This and other falls prevention
  resources are available from the Departments
  Aged Care website at http//www.health.vic.gov.au
  /agedcare