Maine Falls Prevention Coalition

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Maine Falls Prevention Coalition

• Peggy Haynes
• Partnership for Healthy Aging Portland, ME

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Falls in Maine, Population 65

• 2000 to 2004, 12,406 fall injury hospital
  discharges 65
• 2004, 7,395 emergency department visits 65
  treated and released for an injury due to an
  unintentional fall
• Falls are the leading cause of unintentional
  injury death

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Fall injury hospital discharges, Maine residents,
65 years old Maine acute care hospitals,
2000-2004
Information provided by Cindy Mervis, Maine
Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
7/31/06.
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Maine Falls Prevention History

• 1999 A Matter of Balance Roybal Center at
  Boston University trains MMC and CHS staff
• 2000 - Training for MaineHealth members,
  affiliates and partners
• 2001 Office of Elder Services works with PFHA
  to disseminate MOB to 3 AAAs
• 2002 - Pilot training SMAA RSVP volunteers
• 2003 - Administration on Aging Grant MOB/VLL
• 2006 LD 1707 ME Falls Prevention Coalition

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A Matter of BalanceVolunteer Lay Leader Model
(MOB/VLL)

• Partners
• Southern Maine Agency on Aging
• MaineHealths Partnership for Healthy Aging
• Maine Medical Center Division of Geriatrics
• University of Southern Maine, School of Social
  Work
• Project Advisory Committee
• A Matter of Balance participant
• A Matter of Balance volunteer lay leader
• AARPMaine
• City of Portland, Office of Elder Services
• Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• Maine Nutrition Network
• Maine Office of Elder Services
• Maine State Housing Authority
• New England Rehabilitation Hospital
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, USM
• University of New England, Geriatric Education
  Center

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A Matter of Balance/Volunteer Lay Leader
(Significant Outcomes in Bold)
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A Matter of Balance Satisfaction Survey Results

• Participant Responses
• 96.5 more comfortable talking about fear of
  falling
• 93.5 feel comfortable increasing activity
• 99.5 plan to continue exercising
• 98.5 would recommend A Matter of Balance
• who agree to strongly agree n762

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Adoption in Maine

• 24 Master Trainer Sites
• Agencies on Aging
• Regional Hospitals
• Healthy Maine Partnerships
• YMCAs
• Community Centers
• Retirement Communities
• 47 Master Trainers
• 800 older adult participants
• 135 volunteer coaches

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Legislation LD 1707

• Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Health and
  Human Services to Develop Strategies to Keep
  Senior Citizens Safe from Falls.
• Conduct a review of the effects of falls of older
  adults
• Identify impact of falls in older adults on
  health care costs
• Identify potential for reducing the number of
  falls of older adults and
• Most effective strategies for reducing falls and
  health care costs associated with falls

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Maine Falls Prevention SummitKeeping Seniors
Safe From Falls

• Funded by Integrated Core Injury Prevention Grant
  from CDC
• Convened by Commissioner of Dept. of Health and
  Human Services
• Kick-off Listening Session for Maine Fall
  Prevention Coalition
• National speaker, state epidemiological data,
  breakout focus groups
• Invitees represented wide range of expertise

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Report to the LegislatureMaine Falls Prevention
CoalitionRecommendations

• Recommendation 1 Establish the Maine Falls
  Prevention Coalition as a standing committee of
  the Office of Elder Services to report back to
  the Legislature annually.
• Recommendation 2 Develop a Maine Fall
  Prevention Plan with specific strategies and
  action steps to affect sustained initiatives to
  reduce falls among older adults across all
  settings.
• Recommendation 3 Develop a social marketing
  campaign regarding fall prevention.

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Maine Falls Prevention CoalitionRecommendations

• Recommendation 4 Increase the availability of
  appropriate physical activity programs and
  services for older adults, such as EnhanceFitness
  and A Matter of Balance/Lay Leader Model .
• Recommendation 5 Increase the knowledge of, and
  access to, effective programs and services that
  preserve or improve physical mobility and lower
  the risk of falls for older adults.

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Maine Falls Prevention CoalitionRecommendations

• Recommendation 6 Increase awareness among older
  adults, their health care providers, and health
  care faculty and students that falling is a
  common adverse effect of some prescription and
  nonprescription medications.
• Recommendation 7 Implement strategies to
  empower older adults and family members to
  actively share responsibility for medications
  management.

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Maine Falls Prevention CoalitionRecommendations

• Recommendation 8 Increase access by older adults
  and their family members to home safety measures
  that reduce home hazards, improve independent
  functioning, and lower the risk of falls.
• Recommendation 9 Improve community environments
  to lower the risk of falls, and facilitate full
  participation, mobility, physical activity, and
  independent functioning of older adults.

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Maine Falls Prevention CoalitionNext Steps

• Report submitted to Commissioner and Legislature
  11/06
• Falls Coalition membership incorporated into
  Steering Committee for Healthy Choices for ME!
• Presentation to Legislatures Health and Human
  Services Committee - Spring 2007
• Upon acceptance of report, Coalition acts upon
  recommendations