Editorial
OMNI takes proactive approach to reduce falls
Ontario-wide efforts aimed at keeping seniors safe
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Whether in a long-term care home or other community setting, falls pose a great risk to seniors as they age.

According to Statistics Canada, falls account for two-thirds of injuries which limit mobility and activities for Canadians.

As people become frailer, the risk for falls naturally increases. Preventing falls in long-term care is a constant challenge. While measures such as proper footwear and assistive devices can help, long-term care providers continue to seek out new programs, techniques and technologies to help protect seniors from falls.

With a ratio of one staff member to 12 residents, it’s a huge responsibility. With the use of safety restraints frowned upon, it makes the health-care worker’s job even more difficult.

OMNI is taking the lead with a proactive approach to reducing injuries through its falls prevention program. In partnership with Eglinton-Bayview Physio, seniors at Kentwood Park are already experiencing the benefits of a program that combines balance work, strength training and range-of-motion enhancers. Physiotherapist Ton Van Oosten says poor balance is one key factor that leads to falls in residents who are ambulatory. But through proper exercise techniques, better balance and co-ordination can be achieved, he says.

So far, Kentwood Park has witnessed success as a result of the program. It is now being introduced at OMNI’s other Prince Edward County home, West Lake Terrace.

West Lake Terrace is also piloting a technology that involves installing an alarm on one resident’s bed to alert workers to a potential hazard. The home is also witnessing success with adjustable beds. The beds can be lowered to six inches from the floor so if a resident stirs in the night, he or she rolls, instead of falls, out of bed.

On a broader scale, preventing falls in long-term care has caught the attention of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. In partnership they have launched the ‘National Collaborative on Falls in Long-Term Care,’ an initiative involving teams of health professionals from across the country focused on preventing seniors who reside in long-term care homes from falling. The group is focusing on strategies such as: assessing residents’ risk for falls when they first enter a long-term care home; teaching staff, residents and families how to prevent falls; having residents do balance and strength training; lowering the height of beds; and using bed exit alarms when patients are at a high risk of falling.

Through these joint efforts and innovations, OMNI, along with the above groups, can make a difference for seniors in long-term care by making their homes safer places.