Prevention of Fall in Elderly: Training and Learning Methods for Geriatric Care Professionals

This presentation discusses about the fall prevention training and learning methods that could effectively minimise the risks of fall within the hospital environment. The target audience for the training would be the geriatric care professionals working in the hospital. The presentation covers objectives like imparting education and training to healthcare professionals in order to prioritize fall prevention within the old age care unit, ensuring a safe ward environment in order to provide a risk-free care environment, and imparting mild physical exercise and cognitive training to older adults to improve muscular strength and concentration. The presentation also discusses the implementation routine and the effectiveness of the strategies.

PREVENTION OF FALL IN ELDERLY
-PRESENTED BY:

Introduction:
According to Abrahamson et al. (2012), a fall can
be defined as an adverse event that causes an
individual to come to rest on ground or at a
lower level abruptly on account of loss of
consciousness or a violent blow. Falls account for
up to 60% of deaths world wide among the
elderly. This presentation would discuss about
the fall prevention training and learning methods
that could effectively minimise the risks of fall
within the hospital environment.

Chosen area of speciality:
The chosen area of speciality for the assignment
is: Fall prevention in senior adults within a
hospital setting
In accordance to the report published by the
World Health Organization, approximately 28%
to 35% of people aged 65 years and above are
prone to accidents caused by fall (WHO 2018). It
is vital for the geriatric nurses to learn about the
appropriate fall prevention care routine in order
to avoid the prevalence of fall among the
elderly. The target audience for the training
would be the geriatric care professionals
working in the hospital.

Objectives:
This power point presentation would be used to cover the following
objectives:
 Impart education and training to healthcare professionals in order to
prioritize fall prevention within the old age care unit
 Ensure a safe ward environment in order to provide a risk-free care
environment
 Impart mild physical exercise and cognitive training to older adults to
improve muscular strength and concentration

Learning Outcome1:
The care professionals will acquire knowledge
about the health risks pertaining to fall among
elderly patients

Supporting Rationale:
 According to Reeves et al. (2013), it has been reported that within a
healthcare environment, care providers are primarily concerned with
prioritizing patient care and often fail to recognize the risks association
with fall within the care homes. Further, research studies have also
mentioned that a significant proportion of the care professionals are
unaware of the national fall prevention policies and guidelines aimed at
securing the health of the senior citizens (Quigley and White 2013).
Therefore, imparting education and awareness about fall prevention
among the senior adults can help in substantially reducing the
occurrence of accidents.

Learning Outcome 2:
The care professionals would be able to conduct
environmental assessment in order to secure a safe
environment free from the risks of falls

Supporting Rationale:
 As stated by Abrahamson et al. (2012), the risks of falls among elderly
is marked by an unsafe environment. The characteristics of an unsafe
environment include, sharp edges, slippery ground surface, loosened
rugs and dim lighting. Advancing age leads to deterioration of muscular
strength and vision ability that limits the ability of the senior adults to
move from one place to another. Therefore, securing the environment
with bright lighting and dry surface and assisting patients to wear
covered shoes can help in preventing the possibility of a fall.

Learning Outcome 3:
The care professionals would be able to
observe physical conditioning and impart
mild physical exercise training to improve
mobility within old age patients

Supporting Rationale:
 Advancing age is invariably linked with poor mobility and cognitive
strength. As stated by Karlsson et al.(2013), it has been mentioned that
almost 25.22% of old age adults within a care facility suffer from
Delirium (a condition characterized by poor cognition ability (Reeves et
al. 2013). In this regard, it should be mentioned that imparting training
about mild strength-based physical exercises can help in strengthening
the muscles and hence reduce risks pertaining to fall and related
injuries.

Implementation Routine:
 The proposed awareness strategies would be implemented within a time span
of 6 months. Each objective would be allotted a total of 2 months and the
effectiveness of the strategies would be evaluated on the basis of the rate of
falls within the critical care department recorded within the six months of the
implementation process. It should further be noted that the fresh recorded data
would then be compared with the previously recorded data in order to access if
the strategies had positively reinforced fall prevention.
 The first two months would comprise of imparting training to the care
professionals about the available policies and guidelines that deal with fall
prevention in senior adults. In addition to this, theoretical concept about
prioritizing fall prevention within the care unit would also be discusses and a
short MCQ test would be conducted at the end of two months to access the
competence level of the care professionals

Implementation Routine:
 The next two months would comprise of using effective power point
presentations to discuss about the importance of maintaining a safe
environment within the care environment to minimise risks associated with fall.
Demonstrations would be used to highlight the importance of maintaining
adequate lighting and clean and dry surroundings to ensure a secure
environment
 The final two months would include care professionals imparting mild physical
and cognitive training to the elderly patients within the care environment to
improve muscular strength and concentration. Care professionals in
collaboration with physiotherapists would administer aerobic and gait and
coordination training (finger to nose test, finger to finger test) to the patients to
improve strength and mobility. Further app-based meditation technique would
be used to improve concentration and overcome fear of falling.

Conclusion:
Therefore, to conclude it can be summarized that:
• Accidents due to falls can potentially be
prevented within hospital settings
• Mild strength and balance based physical
exercise could make the bones stronger and
prevent falls
• Imparting education and awareness about fall
prevention policies can help in the prevention of
falls to a significant percentage
• Motivating older people to abide by the proposed
interventions can collectively help in reducing
the incidences of fall within healthcare settings.

References:
Abrahamson, K.A., Fox, R.L. and Doebbeling, B.N., 2012. Facilitators and barriers to clinical practice guideline use among
nurses. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 112(7), pp.26-35.
Karlsson, M.K., Magnusson, H., von Schewelov, T. and Rosengren, B.E., 2013. Prevention of falls in the elderly—a
review. Osteoporosis International, 24(3), pp.747-762.
Reeves, S., Perrier, L., Goldman, J., Freeth, D. and Zwarenstein, M., 2013. Interprofessional education: effects on professional
practice and healthcare outcomes (update). Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 3(3).
World Health Organization 2018. Falls. [online] Who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls
[Accessed 7 Jan. 2019].

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