Background: Falls are an issue of concern among the elderly population; it is not only costly, but their impact can have long-term consequences on the quality of life of the elderly. Fall risk in this population increases with age, and falls are the leading cause of accidental death and disability among older adults (Morris et al., 2016). Fall prevention is needed to help reduce these events. The success of this project required consideration of the unique needs of residents in the assisted living environment. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to reduce the prevalence of falls in the assisted living facility by developing a fall protocol. Theoretical Framework. The Donabedian model was the theoretical framework selected for use in this project. This framework contains three areas for quality assurance: structure, process, and outcomes. The Donabedian model is a tailored plan of interventions that was created to meet the specific needs of the residents in this particular setting. Methods. A pre-intervention survey was given to evaluate the staff’s knowledge on falls. Based on the findings, a fall protocol was developed. An educational program was developed and presented to the staff. The de-identified data on the pre- and posttest was analyzed using a dependent t-test for the statistical evaluation. Results. The results indicated that there was a statistically significant change in staff knowledge following the completion of the educational program (p = 0.000). Conclusions: The results indicated that staff training may be useful for enhancing staff knowledge of fall risks. With this knowledge, staff should be able to implement the fall prevention program in the facility, leading to a reduction in the total number of falls.
| Date of Award | Jan 1 2018 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Deire Krause (Supervisor) |
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