Queensland Stay On Your Feet® Toolkit Phase 1
Step 1C: Assess readiness to take action
Hold an introductory meetingNow that you have completed your Phase 1 research, it is time to hold an introductory meeting with key stakeholders. At this meeting:
- provide information about falls prevention and run through local data
- provide examples of other successful programs, and invite a speaker to share their experience
- introduce the project and project officer to the community
- collect contact details of stakeholders who indicate they are interested in the project [100].
When planning introductory meetings, consider speaking at existing meetings of community groups, rather than holding additional meetings and expecting people to come to them [22].
Assess readiness to take actionFor action to be taken, all stakeholders including individuals, organisations and the community need to be ready. The process of behaviour change is not straightforward and many people will need to try a number of times before new behaviours become ingrained. It may also be necessary to examine the wider, community based factors working against adoption of new falls prevention strategies.
According to the World Health Organisation [1], people will only change their lifestyles if:
- it is within their ability to do so
- they have the resources to implement change (including physical, psychological and social capital resources)
- the changes are perceived as being of benefit to them
- the benefit outweighs the cost or effort in overcoming barriers.
You can assess readiness to change and take action to prevent falls on a personal, organisational and community level.
What if my stakeholders are not ready to take action?Be patient. As you can see change is not an easy thing to achieve and most people have many different pressures and priorities in their lives. Keep plugging away and use any opportunity that arises to raise the issue of falls and falls prevention with your target group. Point out the benefits of including falls prevention in current work when the time is right. If you remain evidence-based and consistent in your approach, you will maintain credibility.
You have now completed Phase 1 At the end of Phase 1, you will have collected data comprehensive local data about falls, what is already happening to prevent falls, the number of falls, existing services, stakeholders, risk factors and community ideas and attitudes about falls. This information should be summarised to inform the planning process in Phase 2. You are now ready to move to Phase 2: Plan |
1 WHO Global Report on Falls Prevention in Older Age, 2007: http://www.who.int/ageing/publications/Falls_prevention7March.pdf