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Before you begin working through each Phase of the Toolkit, you might like to read this summary to give you an overview.
There are many interacting risk factors associated with falls. These risk factors can be related to personal/intrinsic factors (for example: loss of muscle strength), or environmental/extrinsic factors (for example: poor stairway design).
There are three main approaches for preventing falls: the multifactorial approach, the single intervention approach and multi-strategic approaches.
It is important to be aware of your target audience when considering appropriate strategies, messages and resources to use in falls prevention programs. One of the main recommendations for working with older people and local communities to reduce falls is to focus on positive messages and to not overuse terms such as falls or exercise, as they can carry negative connotations. Research shows that people aged 65 years and over often view themselves as being 10-15 years younger than they actually are [8]. It is important to remember that people may reject falls prevention messages because they do not consider themselves old enough to fall [6].
Community engagement focuses on involving the community in falls prevention through information sharing, involvement in decision making and priority setting. It is important to involve members of the community in a variety of ways from the planning through to completion, and maintain contact with them throughout the project/program. The trial project aimed to engage the community by actively involving older adults as Queensland Stay on Your Feet ambassadors or volunteers.
To achieve success in organising a falls prevention project/program in your community, good project management skills will be vital.
Start working through the Toolkit, starting with Phase 1.
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