Springdale aims to reduce falls in 2008
Friday January 4, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Scott Ladoucier has an important new year’s resolution — to reduce the risk of residents falling at Springdale Country Manor.

Ladoucier, supportive measures specialist at the Peterborough long-term care home, notes that there are many factors which can put residents at risk of falling in a long-term care home.

According to numbers from Statistics Canada, falls cause two-thirds of injuries which limit mobility and limit activities. Nearly 14,000 Canadians die as the result of a fall every year.

While some falls are the result of physical issues, such as vision problems, pain or decreased mobility, other falls occur because of factors such as inadequate lighting, improper footwear, reaction to medication and grasping for objects that are out of reach.

When residents are admitted to Springdale they are evaluated to assess if they are at risk of falling. However, the validity of the information garnered from these evaluations can decrease.

“Even if we assume that the accuracy of every one of these evaluations is 100 per cent perfect, we know that residents and their needs and conditions can change over time — or overnight,” says Ladoucier.

This is where preventative measures come into play.

Ladoucier says staff members must relay any information about residents’ risk — whether current or potential — to the care team in order to mitigate the risk. Medication regiments, he adds, are examined to ensure that the correct dosage and combinations are being administered.

As part of his new year’s resolution to residents, Ladoucier plans to continue to enforce the importance of reducing falls in the home. He and other staff members will be taking extra caution to make sure the wheels on residents’ beds are safely locked.

Staff members will also continue to look closely to make sure personal belongings are within reach of residents. Everyone at Springdale will also try to encourage residents to participate in physiotherapy programs to maintain physical strength.

Language is also an important issue in reducing risk of falls, Ladoucier adds. Staff members, for instance, must never use rhetorical phrases like “hurry up” in front of residents because they might get the wrong idea.

“We may be inadvertently using figures of speech that (residents) might take to heart in their desire to be punctual or to please us,” says Ladoucier.