People with diabetes and hearing loss and an aging population have a higher risk of fall injuries. My goal was to identify and implement fall injury prevention activities targeting adults as they are continually evolving. I interviewed local stakeholders, public health program managers and community members. Medical staff, public health nursing, and community health programs participated in all aspects of this project.
Among my key findings:
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| www.aging.ohio.gov |
- Falls risk assessment and referrals to community-based fall prevention services are not a routine aspect of clinical care of persons with diabetes or hearing loss;
- Providers are concerned that adults with diabetes often did not keep appointments and were reluctant to remove their shoes and socks;
- Annual comprehensive foot exams, including testing for sensory loss, are the standards of care for persons with diabetes but are often not met.
To address these issues, patient education videos were created; support was sought and received from local elder care advocacy groups and training programs were designed to perform monofilament testing and foot inspections. The evidence based four step fall prevention model created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be examined as will several other programs that are showing results around the United States and other countries.
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