May 12, 2008
Benchmarking Projects
Best Practice Intervention Tools for Fall Prevention -(HHQI National Campaign)
Phone: (573) 634-7772
Email: MAHC
"A fall can be the beginning of the end for a senior citizen."
Helping patients reduce the risk of falling is an important goal for home care providers. Reducing falls improves outcomes and saves valuable resources.
Preventing falls saves lives.
In 2004 the Missouri Alliance for Home Care implemented a multi-disciplinary Home Care Fall Reduction Initiative specific to home health that identifies patients at risk and tracks both witnessed and un-wittnessed falls in patient's homes.
A National Healthcare Problem
- Falls are a leading cause of injury, immobility, nusing home placement, and premature death in the elderly
- Falls are not a normal part of aging, but may be a marker of underlying disease or the development of one
- Financial impact on society escalates with the severity and frequency of falls
- By 2020, cost of fall injuries expected to reach $43.5 billion
- Hip fractures are the most serious and lead to the greatest number of health problems and deaths.
- Fall prevention requires attention on a national, local and agency level
