Fall Prevention

This program is an implementation of a county wide community-based unintentional injury prevention initiative using the Falling Less in Kansas (Falling LinKS) toolkit. The Falling LinKS toolkit addresses falls and discusses how to reduce the chance of falling. The toolkit is aimed at people who want to maintain their active lives and prevent a future fall. Falling LinKS addresses exercise and balance, vision checks, medication assessment and home safety. Where most fall education and prevention programs are prepared for health care professionals, this toolkit is designed for people who live in rural areas where health care resources are often scarce and can be self administered in a private home or used in group settings such as at a senior citizen's center. Falling LinKS is a collaborative research effort among Wichita State University, Envision Low Vision Rehabilitation Center, the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, the Harvey County Department on Aging, and the citizens of Harvey County, Kansas.

The Dickinson County project will make the toolkit available to individuals living in their own homes as well as those living group facilities. This county wide community-based unintentional injury prevention initiative is a collaborative effort between the following Dickinson County agencies: Dickinson County Health Department, Dickinson County Emergency Medical Services, Dickinson County Department of Aging, Herington Municipal Hospital, Home Health Hospice of Dickinson County, Memorial Health Systems, and Local Dickinson County Medical Providers. The Falling LinKS toolkit was presented to the public in a 5 session educational format with subject matter experts in Dickinson County. Pre- and post-questionnaires were administered at senior nutrition centers where the 5-week sessions took place. Furthermore, toolkits were made available to housebound residents and senior managed housing, and a one-time session was held at local clubs/hospitals upon request. Additional information about the Fall Prevention Program is available on the Health Department Facebook page and on the County website.

To reduce the risk of falls among residents over 65 years of age through education in fall awareness and prevention.

After the program, participants spoke with healthcare providers regarding dizziness and medication side effects, scheduled overdue eye exams, and implemented home safety ideas to reduce the risk of falling.

After the Falling LinKS program, 84% of participants reported talking with a healthcare provider about their medications, 56% of participants reported talking with a healthcare provider about the side effects of their medication, 38% of participants who were weak or unsteady reported talking to their healthcare provider to improve their condition, 31% of participants who had not had an eye exam in the last 2 years scheduled an exam post-program, and 72% of participants reported implementing home safety measures after attending the Fall Prevention Program. Program officials note that 96% of participants reported that they found the information obtained in the Fall Prevention Program to be beneficial.