LIFE ElderCare's Fall Prevention Program

1. LIFE ElderCare’s
Fall Prevention
Program
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

2. Fall risk to senior health
 35% of people 65+ fall each year
 Every 18 seconds someone 60+ is taken to the ER
for a fall [16% of all ER visits]
 #1 reason for entry into long-term care facilities
 Leading cause of injury death in older adults –
every 35 minutes
 Over 1.3 million older Californians fall each year…
many sustain hip fractures, head injury or death
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

3. Falls can be prevented
 Over 44 million baby boomers live at home with
an elderly or sick parent
 Another 25 million at-risk elderly live alone and
are unprotected from devastating falls
 Research shows that an individualized, multi-
factorial fall prevention program is the best
approach to fall risk reduction
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

4. Goal: Reduce falls, improve quality of life
 Evidence-based program for frail, homebound seniors:
 We work with the 60% at greatest risk for a fall and the
people who are most costly for the community to care for.
 Those who are often precluded from participating in other
programs due to co-morbidities or serious medical conditions.
 Average age is 88, the oldest client was 100.
Holistic, individualized program, addressing each
of the clients needs in:
 Balance & Gait
 Environment
 Medications
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

5. Exercise is key
 Exercise has a positive impact far beyond the
physical, especially for the elderly:
 Delay of dementia and Alzheimer's
 Improved brain function, far more than Sudoku
 Improved longevity
 Parkinson's: 14 additional months of independent living
Sometimes just holding the line is true success for a client
based on their numerous conditions, declining health and
advancing age.
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

6. Benefit of a Certified Fitness Trainer
 Assesses balance, gait, posture and
muscle strength
 Identified risk factors form the basis
of an individualized exercise
program
 The routine is sent to the
participant’s primary care physician
for approval
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

7. Unitek College, Department of Nursing
 Unitek College partners since
program inception in 2005
 Seven years of uninterrupted service
 Licensed Vocational nursing program
 LVN to RN program
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

8.  1,589 nursing students trained in Fall
Prevention, home health and geriatric
care
Students gain valuable experience in
geriatric care and we are able to offer
high quality care, free of charge, to
the seniors.
 2,092 seniors served
 36,044 hours of service
 Average cost of unending care per
senior: $500
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

9. Intake Evaluation
 Medical history
 Medications
 Activities of Daily Living [ADL’s/IADL’s]
 Subjective survey of clients perceived
strength, agility, confidence to stop a fall
 History of falls
 MMSE – Folstein Mini-Mental
 Geriatric Mood Score
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

10. High Quality Follow-Up
One hour, weekly exercise appointments include:
 Significant medical event(s) since the previous visit
 Edema or unusual physical changes such as fatigue or confusion
 Fall(s): cause and severity
 Compliance with medical condition self-care such as diabetes and high
blood pressure
 Blood pressure pre/post workouts
 Frequency of workouts
 Establishment and adherence to personal healthy living goals
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

11. Educating Nurses about
Falls
Education on the prevention of falls and fall injuries should be
included in nursing curricula and on-going education with specific
attention to:
 Promoting safe mobility
 Risk assessment
 Multidisciplinary strategies
 Risk management including post-fall follow-up”
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, 2005
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

12. Education on Healthy Living
 How to get up from a fall
 Dehydration
 Vitamin D
 Educate about community resources
 Establish and motive to achieve compelling goals
 Ensure client safety through training, motivation
and physical strengthening
 Provides companionship, comfort and reassurance
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

13. Home Modification
 Unitek LVN students complete simple forms to
assess client’s home for possible fall safety
hazards
 LIFE ElderCare provides minor modifications
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

14. Medication Management
 Touro University, School of Pharmacy
 Unitek LVN students search database for
interactions of client’s drugs
 In-home teaching of pharmacist’s medication
review
 Complete medication list provided to client, to
take to doctor and pharmacy visits
 List of client medications shared with PCP
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

15. Continuum of Care
Unitek Registered Nursing students
Integral aspect of never ending care: Sustainability
 Complete physical, psycho-social and environmental
work-up
 Review key issues and concerns
 Devise a care plan
 Help client to set motivating goals
 Supervise exercise workouts
 Educate on pharmacist provided medication review
 Educate on conditions and community resources
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

16. Fall Prevention Works
Stanford University, Business School Alumni
Risk of Falling (Berg & Tinetti Assessment of Balance/Gait
Test)
58%
41%
32% Pre-Program
29% 27% Post-Program
13%
High Risk Moderate Risk Low Risk
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

17. Program Results
Post Program: Noticeable or Vast Improvements
%
Balance
d, 72
Strength
Flexibility
, 65%
Moo
3%
%
Energy
63
gy, 6
ngth
Stamina
58%
fall,
Mobility
55%
%
Ener
Stre
5%
nt a
y, 55
Mood
ility,
e, 5
ina,
Ability to prevent a fall
e
Mob
ibilit
prev
anc
Stam
Bal
Flex
ty to
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation Abili
LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

18. Dissemination
 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services –
Quality Improvement organizations in PA & CA
 Home Health Quality Improvement: “Best Practices in Fall
Prevention”
 Alameda County, Afghan Coalition Health Promoters
adopted this program
 California: Contra Costa County MOW group – adopted this
program. Launch June 2012
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

19. Partnerships are
THE key to our success
 The success of the program is dependent on our
partners… each contributing their strengths,
knowledge and expertise to benefit frail, at-risk
seniors
 Without our partners we would be unable to deliver
this highly effective, much-loved program
 One final partner. . .
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

20. Mary Anderson
 The woman who brought the Fall Prevention concept to
LIFE ElderCare
 Hired me, became my E.D. and my friend
“You don’t give back to the same people who give to you.
Not at all. You give to different people and they in turn will give
to someone entirely different. Not you. That’s the sloppy
economy of gift and love.”
Lorrie Moore Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org

21.  Maureen Parent
 510-673-7594
 mparent@lifeelderc.hostpilot.com
 LIFE ElderCare website
 www.lifeeldercare.org
Maureen Parent, California Wellness Foundation LIFE ElderCare, Inc.
Fall Prevention Coordinator April 18, 2011 www.lifeeldercare.org