Preventing Falls among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

MODULE INFORMATION

Duration: 30 minutes
Format: Video Stream & pdfs

Continuing Education Credits Available for the Following Disciplines:
Medicine
Nursing
Occupational Therapy (UIC ENGAGE-IL is an AOTA Approved Provider, #10173). The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific module content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA
Pharmacy
Social Work

For accreditation statements and module details (e.g., contact hours, authors, target audience, classification codes) please click the “Accreditation Statements” button below.

Disclosures    Policies, Procedures, Data Safety    Accreditation Statements

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Overview

Falls are one of the leading causes of injury-related morbidity and mortality among older adults. Participate in this module to learn strategies for assessing fall risk in older adults and utilizing single, multiple and multifactorial fall prevention interventions.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to:

  1. Explain the significance of falls in terms of prevalence, cost, and associated morbidity, mortality, and impact on quality of life
  2. Describe strategies to assess for fall risk that reflect careful consideration of diverse and interacting fall risk factors
  3. Differentiate among multiple, single, and multifactorial fall prevention interventions
  4. Recognize that multiple, single, and multifactorial fall prevention interventions are often complementary
  5. Describe the purpose and components of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Stopping Elderly Accidents, Death, and Injury (STEADI) Toolkit
  6. Summarize key features of four evidence-based and community-based interventions: Otago; Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance; Stepping On; and Matter of Balance
  7. Identify strategies and resources that health care providers can use to reduce fall risk among community-dwelling older adults

Author and Expert Interviewee:
Elizabeth Peterson, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Director of Professional Education
Clinical Professor
Department of Occupational Therapy
College of Applied Health Sciences
Co-Investigator, ENGAGE-IL
University of Illinois at Chicago

Author Bio:
Dr. Elizabeth Peterson is a Clinical Professor and Director of Professional Education in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She teaches a variety of courses in the occupational therapy master’s program, covering topics from adult physical disabilities to ethics in OT practice. The goal of her scholarship is to develop interventions to prevent falls and manage fear of falling among well and at-risk individuals with special attention to people living with multiple sclerosis. Dr. Peterson is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), representing AOTA as a member of the Expert Panel to update the Fall Prevention Guidelines of the American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatrics Society, and is a member of the AOTA Primary Care Workgroup. She is an original member of the National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) Falls Free Coalition, a founding member of the International MS Falls Prevention Research Network and she is currently leading the Illinois Fall Prevention Council.

Editors:
Valerie Gruss PhD, APN, CNP-BC, FAAN
Clinical Assistant Professor
College of Nursing
Director, ENGAGE-IL
University of Illinois at Chicago

Memoona Hasnain MD, MHPE, PhD
Professor and Associate Department Head, Faculty Development & Research
College of Medicine,
Department of Family Medicine
Co-Director, ENGAGE-IL
University of Illinois at Chicago

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