Beyond the 'tick and flick': Facilitating best practice falls prevention through an action research approach

Aims and objectives. To examine residential aged care facility staff views on using falls risk assessment tools and the implications for developing falls prevention practices in the context of an action research project. Background. Falls risk assessments play an important role in care planning by identifying and monitoring aged care facility residents most at risk of falls. Yet while such assessments are recommended in falls prevention best practice guidelines, there is little published research that examines staff procedures and views related to conducting falls risk assessments. Design. Falls risk assessments were undertaken in the context of an action research project. Method. Twelve staff members from two residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in Tasmania formed a single Falls Action Research Group, which met 22 times over a year, providing the study's qualitative data. During this time, key group members assessed 178 residents using a new falls risk assessment tool (FROP-Resi). Results. According to group members, facilities evolved from a 'tick-and-flick' approach to falls risk assessment to a more individualised, face-to-face assessment process. Group members perceived the process to be more meaningful and enjoyable for staff involved in the assessment process resulting in higher quality of assessments and leading to improved levels of falls awareness among staff, residents and family caregivers. Conclusions. An action research process is useful for facilitating a new approach to falls risk assessments, engaging aged care facility staff with falls prevention and prompting improvements in falls prevention practices. Relevance to clinical practice. RACFs need to provide opportunities for staff to meet regularly to discuss practice, identify issues and take action. By doing so, staff can engage meaningfully with best practice activities such as optimising falls risk assessment processes

V-TIME: a treadmill training program augmented by virtual reality to decrease fall risk in older adults: study design of a randomized controlled trial

Contains fulltext : 115437.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Recent work has demonstrated that fall risk can be attributed to cognitive as well as motor deficits. Indeed, everyday walking in complex environments utilizes executive function, dual tasking, planning and scanning, all while walking forward. Pilot studies suggest that a multi-modal intervention that combines treadmill training to target motor function and a virtual reality obstacle course to address the cognitive components of fall risk may be used to successfully address the motor-cognitive interactions that are fundamental for fall risk reduction. The proposed randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effects of treadmill training augmented with virtual reality on fall risk. METHODS/DESIGN: Three hundred older adults with a history of falls will be recruited to participate in this study. This will include older adults (n=100), patients with mild cognitive impairment (n=100), and patients with Parkinson's disease (n=100). These three sub-groups will be recruited in order to evaluate the effects of the intervention in people with a range of motor and cognitive deficits. Subjects will be randomly assigned to the intervention group (treadmill training with virtual reality) or to the active-control group (treadmill training without virtual reality). Each person will participate in a training program set in an outpatient setting 3 times per week for 6 weeks. Assessments will take place before, after, and 1 month and 6 months after the completion of the training. A falls calendar will be kept by each participant for 6 months after completing the training to assess fall incidence (i.e., the number of falls, multiple falls and falls rate). In addition, we will measure gait under usual and dual task conditions, balance, community mobility, health related quality of life, user satisfaction and cognitive function. DISCUSSION: This randomized controlled trial will demonstrate the extent to which an intervention that combines treadmill training augmented by virtual reality reduces fall risk, improves mobility and enhances cognitive function in a diverse group of older adults. In addition, the comparison to an active control group that undergoes treadmill training without virtual reality will provide evidence as to the added value of addressing motor cognitive interactions as an integrated unit. TRIAL REGISTRATION: (NIH)-NCT01732653