MN Falls Prevention Coalitions: Working Together to Stay Right Side Up

Emily Farah-Miller

Debra Laine

Kate Selsethn4a, July 21, 2-3 p.m.

Today’s Session

• Learn about MN Fall Prevention Initiative

• Steps to start a falls coalition

• MN examples

Minnesota Falls Prevention Initiative

• AoA Planning Grant

• 3 years (Oct 2005-Sept 2008)

• $105,000

• Grant funded activities focused on the development and implementation of MNFPI

A Practical Guide to State Coalition Building to Address a Growing Public Health Issue

1. Review the National Action Plan2. Identify Key Partners3. Make the Case for Fall Prevention4. Create a Planning Group5. Develop a Mission, Goals and Objectives6. Launch the Fall Prevention Coalition 7. Sustain the Coalition8. Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership9. Evaluate the Coalition and its Activities10.Lessons Learned

MNFPI: Key Partners

• MN Association of AAAs

• Aging Services of MN

• American PT Association, MN Chapter

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MN

• Brain Injury of MN

• Fairview Ridges Hospital

• First Plan of MN

• HealthPartners

• Mayo Clinic

• Metropolitan Health Plan

• MN Board on Aging

• MN Dept of Health

• MN Dept of Human Services

• MN Home Care Association

• MN OT Association

• MN Safety Council

• Stratis health

• UCare

• U of MN, School of Gerontological Nursing

• Volunteers of America

Make the Case

• Older adult falls data

• Inventory of programs and services

– Are there any current state fall prevention initiative currently in place?

– What o.a. fall prevention programs are being implemented?

– What opportunities and needs exist?

– Is there broad interest and support for fall prevention?

– What service gaps and overlaps exist?

• Evidence based solutions

Making the Case in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"

• Sometimes being at the top is not the best!

–Minnesota has the 3rd highest unintentional fall death rate in the country.

–Falls are the #1 cause of all trauma care in Minnesota hospitals.

–Falls are a major public health concern.

MNFPI: Vision, Objectives

• Older Minnesotans will have fewer falls and fall-related injuries, maximizing their independence and quality of life.

– increase awareness of the prevalence and risk factors for falls

– increase assessment of fall risk

– increase the availability of evidence-based fall prevention interventions statewide

– increase access to these interventions

– enhance quality assurance efforts related to fall prevention

MN Falls Prevention Initiative

• Launch the Fall Prevention Coalition

• Face-to-face, conference calls, emails, pre-conference session

• Sustain the Coalition

• Clear mission, goals, action plan

• Communicate regularly

• Develop community support

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

Logo, Messages

HandoutsBe Safe At Home

Enjoy the Outdoors

Don’t Be Swept Off Your Feet

Move Your Body

Know Your Medications

Eye Can See Clearly

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

• Listserv

• Conferences

• Diverse communities - ECHO

• 1st day of Fall - Fall Prevention Awareness Day

• Articles

• Local fall prevention coalitions

MNFP Partnership Development & Community Activities

• Distributed funding announcement and received 24 applications requesting a total of $46,000.

• Funded 8 projects with $15,000.

• Awardees participated in 3 conference calls, distributed MNFP handouts and flashlights, and presented at Age Odyssey.

Background• Topic of fall prevention came up

frequently

• Alarming statistics

• Number of “lift assists” done monthly by firemen

• Hearing about programs for falls prevention, but were not working together.

• Falls came up as a leading topic during an “area stakeholder” meeting.

Twin Ports Falls Prevention Coalition

• Duluth, MN and Superior, WI

• 1st meeting –July 29, 2008

Key Partners• Care Institutions

– Benedictine Health Center

• Community / Education – Area Agency on

Aging

– Harbor Centers Inc.

– Fit City Duluth

– College of St. Scholastica

– Parish Nurses of NE MN

– Douglas Co. Health and Human Services

*Italic no longer active

• First responders:– Duluth Fire Department

– Gold Cross Ambulance

– Superior Fire Department

• Medical community: – St. Mary’s Duluth Clinic

– St. Luke’s

– Duluth Family Practice

– Superior Health

• Rehab community: – UDAC (center for

disabled adults)

– Miller Dwan

– Polinsky Rehab

Goals• Regularly updated inventory of falls

prevention programs & falls statistics

• Conduct community activities and education

• Develop community resources

• Educating health care & related professionals.

• Connecting members with each other & increasing awareness of each ones role in fall prevention.

• Develop falls prevention policies or protocols

Launch the Fall Prevention Coalition

• Recruit and engage:

–Contacted organizations to determine interest and potential representative

• Meetings:

–Coordinate times and places

–Facilitated group process

–Guidance for mission development & goal setting

Launch the Fall Prevention Coalition

• Projects:–Conducted inventory of fall

prevention community services.

–Gathered statistics and fact about the impact of falls in the Duluth area.

–Established networks by connecting members.

–Developed fall prevention policies or protocols.

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

• Public Education /Promotional• Professional Education• Falls Screenings• Exercise

• First Responders

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

• Public Education /Promotional

– Slogan

– Information Card

– Newsletter Ideas

– Caregiver education

– Kick off event in the “fall”

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

• Professional Education

– Falls Prevention is a Team Sport: A Game Plan for Medical Professionals

•Conference to be held November 13, 2009

– Education modules

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

• Falls Screenings

– 4 screening events a year to do falls assessments and medication reviews

• Exercise

– Establish accurate list

– Develop new programs

– Market Matter of Balance

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

• First Responder

– Letter to physician

– Information left at residence

– More complete information to ER

• Home Safety checks– Retired Duluth Fire Department volunteers

Reach Beyond the Coalition Membership

• TwinPortsFallsPrevention.com

• Speakers Bureau

–Power Point presentation

–Professional & Volunteer speakers

Lessons Learned

• Contact others

• Awareness

• Find a champion

• Coalitions can leverage dollars

• A finite commitment

• Used as a model to bring diverse groups together

MN River Area Agency on Aging

• Kandiyohi County Falls Prevention Collaborative

• 1st meeting - July, 2008

Partners

–Affiliated Community Medical Center

–Rice Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation

–Atwater Living at Home Block Nurse Program

Kandiyohi County Falls Prevention Collaborative

• Goals:

–Develop or implement falls prevention policies or protocols among partners.

–Conduct inventory of falls prevention community services.

–Conduct falls prevention community activities and education.

–Develop referral points between partners.

Kandiyohi County Falls Prevention Collaborative

• Business card

–Content

–Audience

Community Health Talk

Presenters

Sponsors

Audience

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned

• Contact and learn from others.

• Increase awareness.

• Find a champion.

• Everyone has a role to play.

For more information

• National Falls Free Coalition

Lynn Beattie fallsfree@ncoa.org

• Community Tool Box

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/

• Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, Grantee Resources

www.stopfalls.org

For more information

• Minnesota Falls Prevention website

www.mnfallsprevention.org

• Emily Farah-Miller, Metropolitan AAA, emily@tcaging.org

• Debra Laine, Arrowhead AAA, dlaine@ardc.org

• Kate Selseth, MN River AAA, kate.selseth@mmrdc.org