1. Organization Wide Fall prevention

2. Goals of our falls program • Organization wide • Work smarter not harder • Everyone is involved and responsible

3. Step 1:Change your thoughts…. • Falling is not normal-there is always a reason and a prevention • It takes the whole community to keep people safe-all staff must play a part • Just because they fall frequently does not mean there is “nothing” that can be done • More work on the front end=less work later

4. Step 2:Look at each situation separately • Who do we serve • Community • Home Care • Assisted Living • Skilled Nursing facility • How can we effectively help them

5. Step 3:Staff buy in and understanding • Many different approaches for staff understanding • Initial, annual and continual • Establishing and educating the goals of the program to staff • Posting actual results on a monthly basis

6. Step 4:Tools needed to accomplish goals • Assessments at all levels • Community, Homecare, AL and SNF • Exercise classes • Rounding and roving (4 P’s) • Permanent staffing (know the person) • Think beyond situation to habits, environment and signs to predict falling

7. Community, Home Care & Assisted Living • What is our goal? • Helping them understand dangers • Giving them tools to improve • How can we help?? • Monthly education classes • Physiological assessments • Free exercise classes • Periodic reassessments

8. Skilled Nursing Facility • What needed improvement • Initial assessments • Fall investigations • Fall prevention plan • Medication Management • Staff oversight of residents (rounding /roving and permanent staffing) • Attitudes about “who’s job is it really”

9. Skilled Nursing Facility • What was added • Resident exercise classes • Monthly data sharing with staff about falls • Better tools for investigating falls (whole picture) • Short shift workers to cover the high fall volume hours • Awareness of all workers that they play an important part in the residents safety

10. Things that did not work • Reminding and re-educating residents to ask for help • Telling staff to “do it” without their input and understanding • Having expectations that are unachievable • Carrot and stick approach VS understanding we all are an important part of solution

11. Outcomes for community, Homecare and Assisted Living • Stronger and more educated public • Community members are familiar with our services and trust MCHS • Participants know better where they are at and how to improve themselves

12. Outcomes so far for nursing home… • Staff able to generate better interventions because they have understanding of why the person fell. • Stronger residents • Falls decreased • 2010 Average 17 falls per month • 2011 Average 9 falls per month

13. Presenters • Cindy Iverson-Director of Nursing • Kathy Murken- Assistant Director of Nursing • Helen Stafsholt-Outreach Coordinator