DADS Quality Assurance and Improvement staff has assembled evidence-based practice information, educational tools and other information regarding fall prevention and management for use by health care providers and staff, individuals served and their families. Resources provided include printable posters, handouts, articles, videos and brochures for use by health care staff and individuals served. Links to tools and information are available on this site.
The National Guideline Clearinghouse provides evidence-based best practice recommendations for falls prevention in older adults including parameters of assessment, nursing care strategies, interventions to decrease risk for falls and recommendations for incident monitoring and follow-up.
The Texas Association of Area Agencies on Aging (T4A) was the successful responder to a Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) Request for Proposal for an Evidence-Based Best Practice Fall Prevention Collaborative. The t4a has replicated Maine’s Partnership for Healthy Aging evidence-based activity program, A Matter of Balance Volunteer Lay Leader Model, through its Texas Falls Prevention Coalition. The Coalition is comprised of 24 area agencies on aging and their community partners that cover 216 Texas counties. Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health is the evaluation and research partner.
A brochure and flyer, regarding participating locations and class content are available.
Fall and Injury Prevention (PDF format)
This handbook for nurses, developed by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), addresses patient safety and healthcare quality. Chapter 10, included here, offers research and evidence-based practice recommendations for fall prevention in community, long-term and acute care settings. (Provides useful summary charts regarding best practice.)
Fall Prevention Center of Excellence
The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence is the home of a California Fall Prevention Initiative. The Center provides information to both consumers and professionals on various topics relating to falls and fall prevention. This site includes a “virtual resources table,” and collection of educational materials and tools.
AgePage (PDF format)
This printable handout from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) discusses steps to take for fall prevention in the home and provides links to other resources on safety for people who are aging. This handout is also available en espanol (PDF format).
Preventing Falls Among Older Adults
The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) serves as the Injury Center for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Their Preventing Falls Among Older Adults website section includes fact sheets, graphs, podcasts and brochures about falls and fall prevention for older adults.
Fall Prevention: Six Ways to Reduce Your Falling Risk
This resource provides tips from MayoClinic.com, including six fall prevention approaches that can help individuals avoid falls.
Evidence-Based Best Practice Summary for Nursing Fall Risk Management (PDF format)
This handout, developed by the Quality Monitoring Program at DADS, summarizes the key elements for nursing assessment, care planning and outcomes for fall risk management.
American Geriatric Society (AGS) Resources
This website, developed by the AGS, has guideline recommendations to prevent falls in the person who is older and includes references for health care professionals and non-medical individuals.
The American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging-Fall Prevention
This website, developed by the AGS, provides information on a program to reduce the risk for falls in persons who are older, leg function and mobility evaluations, and the ability to balance.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Preventing Falls Among Older Adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contains the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control whose mission is to prevent injuries and violence and reduce their consequences. Information at this site supports research that identifies factors that may cause a person who is older to fall, addresses fear of falling and provides information in order to develop programs to address these factors.
Fall Prevention Center of Excellence
The website of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence identifies best practices in fall prevention and helps communities offer fall prevention programs to persons who are older who are at risk of falling. This site will provide useful information about fall prevention programs that utilize various interventions, especially balance and mobility training, medical management and environmental modifications. Videos, such as the Berg Balance Test, are also available for viewing.
Medicare Quality Improvement Community (MedQIC) Fall Management Program
MedQIC has developed a falls management program designed to assist nursing facilities in improving their fall care processes and outcomes through educational and quality improvement tools. Available information includes a program manual and assessment tools.
National Center for Patient Safety 2004 Falls Toolkit
The Falls Toolkit, developed by the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs, provides information on designing a falls prevention and management program, effective interventions and educating individuals served, families, and staff on fall and fall-injury prevention.
Practicing Physician Education Falls Tool Kit
This toolkit, developed through the American Geriatrics Society, may be used to record initial findings about a person who is older who has experienced a fall.
For questions or comments, please contact us at TQM@dads.state.tx.us.
Updated: April 3, 2013