1. Creating a Falls Prevention Coalition in Your Community

2. Olmsted County Falls Prevention Coalition CREATING A FALLS PREVENTION COALITION IN YOUR COMMUNITY Presented by: Daniel Jensen – Olmsted County Preventive Health Services Corrine Erickson – Olmsted County Home & Community Care

3. Coalition Development  Community Assessment creates foundation of local need  Provides validation for resource expenditure  Documents need for stakeholders and grant sources

4. Research Leading Causes  Medication Interactions  Exercise Regularly  Home Safety

5. Coalition Development  Identify Community Partners  Medical  Governmental  First Responders  Private/Non-Profit  Develop Partnerships

6. Coalition Members  Elder Network  Gold Cross  Golden Living Center  Mayo Clinic  Olmsted County Public Health  Olmsted County Sheriff’s Department  Olmsted County Social Services  Olmsted Medical Center  Rochester Fire Dept  Rochester Police Dept  Senior Center  SE MN Area Agency on Aging  Volunteers in Public Safety

7. Coalition Outcome Objectives  Keep people living in their home through falls prevention  Improve individual quality of life through reduced accidental injury  Reduce burden on medical and first responder resources

8. Coalition Mission Statement  Provide a network of services for citizens > 65 yrs of age to help decrease the number of falls and severity of falls in order to maintain independence in their home

9. Strategy Development Process  Define systems and identify gaps  Review weaknesses  Construct strategies to close the loops  Develop/find resources to support strategies  Build communication and interfaces  Evaluation

10. Specific Coalition Strategies  Community Education  Facilitation of First Responder to Physician Communication  Home Safety Inspection  Develop Community Resources

11. Coalition Strategies Community Education  Community Education  Define – Coalition information about falls prevention to the people who need it  Review – Trainings are hit and miss (who is the target population?)  Construct – A plan to target specific groups for training – access listeners who need this information  Develop – Variety of educational materials – PowerPoint, DVD, brochure, items that advertise the coalition  Build – Relationships with community groups, churches, community education, health fairs  Evaluate – Track # of persons attending educational presentations, track inspection resulting from education (who referred you?)

12. Coalition Strategies Physician Communication  Facilitation of First Responder to Physician Communication  Define – Repeat home falls requiring First Responder Assistance  Review – No physician follow up or resource referrals  Construct – Open communication to physicians and other referral resources  Develop – Letter of communication/decision tree document  Build – Train first responders, relationship with medical facilities  Evaluate – Distributed letters tracked, VIPS referrals logged

13. Coalition Strategies Home Safety Inspection  Home Safety Inspection  Define – Persons over age 65 are falling in their homes due to health concerns and hazards within the home  Review – Persons at risk of falls unaware service is available, fearful of the process, may require follow up on recommendations  Construct – Education that dispels fears, communication with consumer’s support system (i.e., family case manager, parish nurse, doctor, etc) to follow up on recommendations  Develop – Consumer-friendly referral and inspection process  Build – Train VIPS volunteers, relationships with formal and informal consumer supports  Evaluate – Consumer/family evaluation (track # of inspections completed?)

14. Coalition Strategies Home Safety Inspection  Develop Community Resources ▪Define – Olmsted County has HIGHEST rate of deaths due to falls in MN – community problem ▪Review – Provider community may be aware of problem, efforts not coordinated – other community may not know costs ▪Construct – Bring providers dealing with fall prevention together, other community members – financial support ▪Develop – Education among provider groups, education to groups who could provide financial support to coalition ▪Build – Train the trainer? ▪Evaluate – ???

15. Coalition Strategies Home Safety Inspection  Free Service of Falls Coalition  Inspectors T-Shirts have VIPS Emblem  ID Badges will have VIPS and Rochester Police Dept  Two People on Inspection Team  Inspectors Trained by Falls Coalition and VIPS  Background Checks Done on All Inspectors

16. Coalition Strategies Home Safety Inspection

17. Funding Opportunities Expanding Core Work  Coalition Brochure  Video Production  UCare Client Outreach  Advertising/Promotional Items  Education Materials  Community Education Classes/Health Fairs  Mitigation Supplies/Installation  Support/Training for VIPS