Student-Led Falls Prevention Program for Community-Dwelling Older Adults in a Rural Community: A Pilot Study.
Asmita Mudholkar, Stephanie Burke, Kehinde Obamiro
PMID 39781589WHAT IT FOUND
OT students visiting rural older adults found 82.5% were at high fall risk and every participant had at least one home hazard.
Most rated the visit valuable, but this pilot cannot show falls were prevented.
Key findings
01OT students identified high fall risk in 82.5% of participants and at least one home hazard in every participant.
02Among follow-up survey respondents, 27 reported feeling safer in their homes and 26 reported no fall since the home visit.
03Thirteen rated the overall service valuable and 14 rated it very valuable; 8 participants had received home modifications since the visit.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and convenience-based, so it may not represent other rural or remote communities. Participants were already screened positive for falls risk, so the study does not describe how the program would work in the wider older population. There was no comparison group or measured change in falls, so the results cannot show that the student-led visit prevented falls. Follow-up was self-reported by telephone 3 months later, and 31 participants completed the survey with a response rate of 77.5%. Communication with GPs and local aged-care providers was limited, so referral barriers were not fully explored.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high satisfaction and self-reported safety as proof that the program prevented falls. The study identified existing risk and asked about satisfaction and falls since the visit. It did not include a comparison group or test change in fall rates.