Dr. Kevin O’Neil and other clinical leaders conduct a fall prevention training for staff, residents, and resident families at Scotland House as part of the Demonstration Project.
Demonstration Project aimed at fall prevention kicks off at Scotland House
“We recognize that we cannot prevent all falls, but our hope is that programs such as this will reduce the number of falls and most importantly the number of serious fall-related injuries,” O’Neil said.
Scotland House Assisted Living staff, residents, and family members are participating in a Demonstration Project aimed at reducing and prevent falls for the senior residents who call the community home.
The project, a partnership between clinical leadership at the community and each resident’s primary care provider, uses intervention practices based on expert guidelines developed by the American Geriatrics Society.
“We initially focused on improving communication between our staff and the healthcare providers who are caring for our residents,” said Dr. Kevin O’Neil, MD, chief medical officer for Scotland House and an internationally renowned gerontologist. “I am happy to report that we are getting good feedback from our staff that they feel better prepared and more confident when they communicate with the healthcare providers. The health providers, in turn, have noticed that the quality of communication from our staff has improved.”
The initiative has now moved into its second phase, where interventions, like balance and resistance exercises, increased vitamin D, and review of medications, will be put into practice.
“Specific balance and resistance exercises have proven effective in overcoming the muscle weakness and gait instability that often accompany the aging process,” O’Neil said. “Adequate amounts of vitamin D have shown significant benefit in improving balance and stability, especially in frail individuals. Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines may cause dizziness and drowsiness leading to falls, so the need for such medications will be assessed.”
The assisted living community’s leaders will continue to provide educational materials and resources to its residents, staff, and resident family members to help in fall prevention education, and hands-on trainings have begun at the community as well.
Staff members of Scotland House present on ways to help prevent falls
“We recognize that we cannot prevent all falls, but our hope is that programs such as this will reduce the number of falls and most importantly the number of serious fall-related injuries,” O’Neil said.
Fall prevention is a focus for the leadership of Scotland House for a number of reasons, including:
- One in three adults over age 65 and one in two over age 80 fall each year.
- Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans.
- Every 11 seconds, and older adult is treated in an emergency room for a fall.
- Every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
- Falls can result in serious injuries such as hip, pelvic, and spine fractures, as well as skull fractures and bleeding in the brain.
- The average hospital cost for a fall exceeds $30,000.
- Falls may lead to a fear of falling, which can result in further physical decline, depression, social isolation and loneliness.
